
Judith Pizarro AndersenUniversity of Toronto | U of T · Department of Psychology
Judith Pizarro Andersen
Ph.D.
About
94
Publications
51,606
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3,928
Citations
Additional affiliations
January 2013 - present
Education
June 2009 - June 2011
Cornell University
Field of study
- Post Doctoral Fellow in Psychology
September 2002 - December 2007
Publications
Publications (94)
Law enforcement officers are routinely exposed to high-threat encounters that elicit physiological stress responses that impact health, performance, and safety. Therefore, self-regulation using evidence-based approaches is a priority in police research and practice. This paper describes a five-module heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVB) protoc...
Police officers demonstrate increased risk of physical and mental health conditions due to repeated and prolonged exposure to stressful occupational conditions. Occupational stress is broken into two types: operational stress, related to the content of field duties (e.g., physical demands); and organizational stress, related to cultural and structu...
Police officers demonstrate increased risk of physical and mental health conditions due to repeated and prolonged exposure to stressful occupational conditions. Occupational stress is broken into two types: operational stress, related to the content of field duties (e.g., physical demands); and organizational stress, related to cultural and structu...
Résumé
Les données démographiques révèlent qu’au Canada, les Noirs sont plus souvent arrêtés, accusés, abattus et tués par la police que les Blancs. Compte tenu des effets traumatisants de la force létale de la police, il est urgent de comprendre les causes potentielles des disparités raciales observées et de mettre au point des interventions visan...
Background:
Research with sexual and gender minority (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, asexual, trans, non-binary) people of Color (SGM-PoC) has largely focused on risk and negative health outcomes. The existing strengths-based mental health research suggests that identity affirmation may be associated with psychological resilience and good me...
Errors in lethal force by police are met with significant demand for explanations as to why they occur, stimulating a growing body of multidisciplinary research. Acutely stressful occupational conditions result in decrements to police performance, including lethal force decision-making. Further, although it is known that repeated and prolonged expo...
Under conditions of physiological stress, officers are sometimes required to make split-second life-or-death decisions, where deficits in performance can have tragic outcomes, including serious injury or death and strained police–community relations. The current study assessed the performance of 122 active-duty police officers during a realistic le...
The origins of this report, and of the Mental Health and Policing Working Group, can be traced to the unique situation Canadians have faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The unique circumstances of this global outbreak, which have for many Canadians resulted in serious illness and death, intensified economic uncertainties, altered family an...
L’examen scientifique des disparités raciales dans les fusillades policières montre des preuves contradictoires de préjugés anti-noirs, anti-blancs ou d’absence de préjugés raciaux. Les études expérimentales qui tentent de contrôler des facteurs extérieurs manquent souvent de validité écologique et ont des approches incohérentes pour mesurer les pr...
Contemporary discourse has identified several urgent priorities concerning police training and education, including: (a) empirically testing and validating the effectiveness of current programming in reducing lethal force decision-making errors; (b) integrating evidence-based content and pedagogical approaches into police curriculum; and (c) unders...
Given the potential consequences of errors in use of force (UOF), police officers are regularly evaluated for their competency in a variety of related skills, including lethal force decision-making. Limited time and resources for learning new or refreshing existing UOF skills often results in concurrent training and evaluation through reality-based...
A significant body of applied police research has investigated the effectiveness of various use of force (UOF) training approaches that traditionally cover decision-making (i.e., shoot/no-shoot), situational awareness, and resilience. However, there remains a lack of established educational standards for police UOF instructors beyond physical and t...
BACKGROUND
Public safety personnel have regular and often intense exposure to potentially traumatic events at work, especially workplace violence in the case of correctional workers. Subsequently, correctional workers are at higher risk for developing mental health problems such as posttraumatic stress disorder. Public safety personnel are up to 4...
Background:
Public safety personnel have regular and often intense exposure to potentially traumatic events at work, especially workplace violence in the case of correctional workers. Subsequently, correctional workers are at higher risk for developing mental health problems such as posttraumatic stress disorder. Public safety personnel are up to...
In spite of significant interest in the application of police use of force (UOF) from organisations, researchers, and the general public, there remains no industry standard for how police UOF is trained, and by extension, evaluated. While certain UOF behaviours can be objectively measured (e.g., correct shoot/no shoot decision making (DM), shot acc...
Leading police scholars and practitioners were asked to reflect on the most urgent issues that need to be addressed on the topic of use of force. Four themes emerged from their contributions: use of force and de‐escalation training needs to improve and be evaluated; new ways of conceptualizing use of force encounters and better use of force respons...
Recent calls for widespread police reform include re-examination of existing training and practice surrounding the use of force (UOF, e.g., verbal and non-verbal communication, physical tactics, firearms). Visual models representing police UOF decision-making are used for both police training and public communication. However, most models have not...
Despite growing literature on sexual minority (SM; e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, asexual) people of Color (PoC), there is a dearth of research examining positive aspects of SM-PoC identity. This article presents the development and initial validation of the Queer People of Color Identity Affirmation Scale (QPIAS). First, items were developed...
This entry considers the role of trauma in physical health outcomes. First, trauma is defined, the systems in which trauma may play a role in health are discussed, and the direct and indirect mechanisms underlying these effects are described. Finally, we consider potential interventions and other factors that may protect individuals against the del...
Occupational stress is a pervasive problem that is relevant across the world. Stress, in combination with occupational hazards, may pose additive risks for health and wellbeing. This chapter discusses the influence of physical and psychosocial stressors on basal cortisol regulation as associated with higher-risk occupational duties among two subspe...
Purpose: To synthesize recent empirical research investigating memory of stressful critical incidents (both simulated and occurring in the field) among law enforcement officers.
Design: Systematic state-of-the-art review.
Findings: 20 studies of police and military officers show reduced detail and accuracy of high-versus low-stress incidents, esp...
Purpose: To synthesize recent empirical research investigating memory of stressful critical
incidents (both simulated and occurring in the field) among law enforcement officers.
Design: Systematic state-of-the-art review.
Findings: 20 studies of police and military officers show reduced detail and accuracy of high-versus low-stress incidents, espec...
Background:
There is a growing body of research on operational stress injuries (OSIs) among police officers and first responders. Most studies focus on operational stressors' contribution to OSI and the development of post-traumatic stress disorder. However, preliminary research shows that organizational stressors may uniquely contribute to OSI an...
Despite growing literature on sexual minority (SM; e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, asexual) people of Color (PoC), there is a dearth of research examining positive aspects of SM-PoC identity. This article presents the development and initial validation of the Queer People of Color Identity Affirmation Scale (QPIAS). First, items were developed...
Background: There is a growing body of research on operational stress injuries (OSIs) among police officers and first responders. Most studies focus on operational stressors’ contribution to OSI and the development of post-traumatic stress disorder. However, preliminary research shows that organizational stressors may uniquely contribute to OSI and...
Policing is a highly stressful and dangerous profession that involves a complex set of environmental, psychosocial, and health risks. The current study examined autonomic stress responses experienced by 64 police officers, during general duty calls for service (CFS) and interactions with the public. Advancing previous research, this study utilized...
Stress has a pervasive, global, and negative influence on individual health. Stress also has negative effects on families, organizations, and communities. Current models of stress are either too general or too detailed to guide effective interventions across the spectrum of medical and social conditions that are stress-related. A new model is neede...
The aims of this study were to first examine the rates of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout among North American officers. Second, we examined factors (e.g., authoritarian attitudes, years of service) that were associated with compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout. Of the total participants (n=1,351), 23% r...
Objective:
The aim of this study was to compare diurnal salivary cortisol among high-risk occupational police specialties and the general population (n = 18,698).
Methods:
Tactical and frontline officers provided salivary cortisol samples for 2 days (four times: wake, 30 minutes, 11 hours, and 17 hours post-awakening) and were compared with a ge...
Objectives:
To test an intervention modifying officer physiology to reduce lethal force errors and improve health.
Methods:
A longitudinal, within-subjects intervention study was conducted with urban front-line police officers (n = 57). The physiological intervention applied an empirically-validated method of enhancing parasympathetic engagement...
Front-line police officers were exposed to four days of intensive use-of-force (UOF) resilience training (n=57) following a pre-intervention skills-based UOF assessment. The international Performance Resilience and Efficiency Program (iPREP) provides methods of regulating stress responses via control of autonomic stress reactivity. Prior research h...
Police officers are expected to make split-second use-of-force (UOF) decisions. The cumulative burden of highly stressful encounters may put officers at risk of making incorrect decisions. Front-line police officers (n=57) participated in a UOF resilience training called the Intervention Performance Resilience and Efficiency Program (iPREP). Office...
The authors examined the role of familial and national social identification in
shaping the well-being (positive self-esteem [PSE] and satisfaction with life
[SL]) among Israeli adolescents following a terrorist attack. Adolescents living
in an attacked town (n = 259; M age = 16.19 years, SD = 0.74 years) and adolescents
living in a not attacked to...
Special Forces Police are called to the most dangerous situations that require skills and equipment beyond the training available to a patrol officer. We recruited a platoon of special forces (n = 18) and examined their basal and reactivity levels of cortisol in relation to occupational duties. Moreover, we measured the impact of a multiday program...
Research has shown a connection between trauma exposure and elevated health risks among police officers. This study explored police health professionals' knowledge and current practices in educating officers about the trauma-health relationship. Results indicated the main method of education included lectures and seminars, but participants expresse...
Police safety and use of force decisions during critical incidents are an ongoing source of concern for both police practitioners and the public. Prior research in the area of police performance reveals that psychological and physiological stress responses during critical incidents can shape the outcome of the incident, either positively or negativ...
Sexual aggression is defined as the offenders' act to impose his or her sexual will over another, nonconsenting, person using behaviors such as threats, intimidation, drugs, or physical force. Sexual aggression may happen to any person regardless of his/her socioeconomic status, education, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and so forth. Historica...
Intimate partner violence (IPV) refers to various types of abuse that may take place in heterosexual couples, LGBT couples, teen couples, and former intimates. Victims and perpetrators of IPV may come from all ages, ethnic groups, racial groups, religions, occupations, socioeconomic status levels, education levels, and geographical areas. Historica...
Policing presents a complex set of risk factors for occupational health and safety among officers, including environmental, psychosocial, and health risks. Environmental risks include facing critical incidents such as violent offenders, hostage negotiations, intense crime scenes, and irate civilians. Critical incidents are high pressure situations...
Drawing on social support theory, this study examines the main and interactive effects of parental perceived stress and social support on externalizing behaviors in military youth. Findings reveal that not only do social support and stress affect the conduct of military children, but social support also moderately buffers the effects of parental st...
Police officers routinely face critical incidents such as violent offenders, motor vehicle fatalities, and mistreated children (Cross & Ashley, 2004; Karlsson & Christianson, 2003). Police are tasked with keeping the peace and helping traumatized victims. Over time, the effort to alleviate the victims’ suffering may come with a cost. Charles Figley...
Few studies have examined the rates of childhood victimization among individuals who identify as "mostly heterosexual" (MH) in comparison to other sexual orientation groups. For the present study, we utilized a more comprehensive assessment of adverse childhood experiences to extend prior literature by examining if MH individuals' experience of vic...
The idea of fostering ‘resilience’ among police and military personnel is a topic of growing interest (Andersen et al., 2015a; Cornum, Matthews, & Seligman, 2011; Reivich, Seligman, & McBride, 2011). This topic is particularly timely in light of recent media depictions of questionable use-of-force actions by police and the subsequent public retalia...
Police Special Forces (a.k.a. special weapons and tactics [SWAT]) officers are tasked with responding to the most critical situations, including incidents that require specialized skills and equipment beyond typical policing activities. In this study, we tested the feasibility of applying Arnetz and colleagues’ resilience promotion training that wa...
Research regarding what police officers currently know (or want to know) about the impact of trauma exposure on mental and physical health is rare. Given that police training and educational practices differ based on country or territory, studies using standardized surveys to discover police officer’s preferences or openness to learning further inf...
This study examined how adverse childhood experiences (ACE) may explain disparities in poor mental health between lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB), and heterosexual adults. Data are from three US states' 2010 behavioral risk factor surveillance system surveys (n = 20,060) that included sexual orientation, ACE inventory, and mental distress. LGB sta...
Background
Lifetime victimization experiences, including child sexual abuse (CSA), child physical abuse (CPA), adult sexual assault (ASA), and adult physical assault (APA), are associated with health problems.
Purpose
To examine relationships between cumulative victimization and physical health among heterosexual and lesbian women and determine wh...
Police officers face chronic stress and exposure to traumatic events in the line of duty. Over the course of their career, officers often experience mental and physical health issues related to such exposures. The authors propose that police educators are an untapped resource, able to teach trainees at the start of their career about the health rea...
Evidence from the field of intergroup relations shows that interactions with a member of a different cultural group is often defined by threat and anxiety (termed “cross-group threat”). Police officers often work in partnerships and frequently face traumatic incidents in the line of duty. This study explores the unexamined issue of cross-group thre...
Victimology primarily focuses on the victims' experiences, offenders' motivations, the relationships between victims and offenders, and related criminal justice procedures. Victims of crimes often suffer multiple effects, including psychological and physical harm, and financial losses. The severity of the impact of trauma on victims' lives depends...
Dating violence is characterized by any form of violence or threat from one partner to the other within a romantic relationship. This type of violence can be identified in any dating relationship regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion. Females are more often the targets of dating violence than males, especially in regard to sev...
Background:
Research suggests that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) populations experience higher prevalence of school bullying than heterosexuals.
Objectives:
We examined if (a) verbal versus physical bullying were differentially associated with physical health among sexual minorities and (b) if sexual identity (i.e., homosexual [i.e., lesbian/...
Undergraduates at a university in the United States were exposed - directly and indirectly - to 14 peer deaths during one academic year. We examined how individual and social factors were associated with psychological (e.g., anxiety, depression, somatization) and physiological (i.e., cortisol) distress responses following this unexpected and repeat...
Millions of people witnessed early, repeated television coverage of the September 11 (9/11), 2001, terrorist attacks and were subsequently exposed to graphic media images of the Iraq War. In the present study, we examined psychological- and physical-health impacts of exposure to these collective traumas. A U.S. national sample (N = 2,189) completed...
Background:
Adverse childhood experiences (e.g., physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect, exposure to domestic violence, parental discord, familial mental illness, incarceration and substance abuse) constitute a major public health problem in the United States. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) scale is a standardized measure that capt...
Mounting evidence reveals that children and youth who do not identify as heterosexual or gender normative (i.e., sexual minority youth) are particular targets of maltreatment. Sexual minority children and youth report significantly elevated rates of adverse events such as school bullying, physical and sexual abuse and assault perpetrated by peers,...
Biobehavioral models of prenatal stress highlight the importance of the stress-related hormone cortisol. However, the association between maternal cortisol levels and the length of human gestation requires further investigation because most previous studies have relied on one-time cortisol measures assessed at varying gestational ages. This study a...
Research has shown that traumatic stress has negative effects on overall health and well-being. Traumatic exposure has been linked to higher rates of psychological and physical health problems. Writing about trauma or stress has been shown to improve health and reduce stress, but can negatively affect mood. The purpose of this study was to examine...
The purpose of this paper is to serve as a primer for those who have never used, or even considered using, secondary data as a resource for psychological research. Secondary data (SD) can provide a unique methodological tool with which to examine psychological issues and can serve as a valuable contribution to a program of research. However, this i...
Growing evidence suggests that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with poorer health status (e.g., more medical disease, physical symptoms, and sick visits to health care professionals) among veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in Iraq. We investigated whether PTSD...
To determine if a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was associated with primary care provider-diagnosed physical disease in the first 5 years post deployment.
An examination of medical records of 4416 veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) was conducted. Participants were veterans who served between Sept...
This article describes the establishment of two community technology centers affiliated with Head Start early childhood education programs focused especially on Latino and African American parents of children enrolled in Head Start. A 6-hour course concerned with computer and cancer literacy was presented to 120 parents and other community resident...
A longitudinal investigation of psychological responses to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks was conducted on a U.S. national probability sample. Using an anonymous Web-based survey methodology, data were collected among over 1,900 adults at 2 weeks and 12 months post-9/11 to consider whether direct and proximal exposure were necessary preco...
The terrorist attacks of 9/11 (September 11, 2001) present an unusual opportunity to examine prospectively the physical health impact of extreme stress in a national sample.
To examine the degree to which acute stress reactions to the 9/11 terrorist attacks predict cardiovascular outcomes in a national probability sample over the subsequent 3 years...
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, exposed every person in the USA to an experience that, in recent decades, was unprecedented in its scope and traumatic impact. Perhaps over 100,000 individuals directly witnessed these events, and many others viewed the attacks and their aftermath via the media (Yehuda, 2002). It has been argued that thi...
This field experiment examined the impact of an individual's need for cognition (NFC; the tendency to enjoy thinking deeply about issues), complex versus simple messages, and the interaction of NFC and message type on encouraging fruit and vegetable consumption. Callers to the Cancer Information Service of the National Cancer Institute (N=517) were...
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers face exposure to combat during wars across the globe. The health effects of traumatic war experiences have not been adequately assessed across the lifetime of these veterans.
To identify the role of traumatic war experiences in predicting postwar nervous and physical disease and mortality using archival data from m...
Background: Hundreds of thousands of soldiers face ex-posure to combat during wars across the globe. The health effects of traumatic war experiences have not been ad-equately assessed across the lifetime of these veterans.
This study examined whether providing messages matched to women's monitor-blunter coping styles is effective in encouraging mammography utilization. Female callers to a cancer information hotline were assessed at the end of their regular telephone call and classified as monitors or blunters. A randomly assigned message promoting mammography utiliza...