Date

6-17-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Amy Stevens

Keywords

Law Enforcement, Mental Health, Anxiety, Depression, Equipment, Training, Police Modernization Theory, Transactional Model of Stress and Coping

Disciplines

Law

Abstract

This quantitative study investigated the relationships among law enforcement officers’ access to modern equipment, their confidence in their training, and their reported levels of anxiety and depression. The study also tested whether confidence in training moderated the association between equipment and mental health outcomes. Mental health symptoms were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck et al., 1961) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (Beck et al., 1988). Two researchers-developed instruments to assess officers’ perceived adequacy of their equipment and confidence in their training. Participants were recruited from law enforcement agencies across the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and data were collected through virtual meetings. Regression analyses were conducted in SPSS using Hayes’ PROCESS macro. Results indicated that access to modern police equipment was negatively correlated with both anxiety and depression. Confidence in training was also negatively correlated with these mental health outcomes, suggesting that officers who felt better prepared reported fewer symptoms. However, confidence in training did not significantly moderate the relationship between equipment and anxiety or between equipment and depression. Although moderation was not supported with the measures used, training confidence may still interact with other variables relevant to officer wellbeing. These findings may inform law enforcement agencies’ decisions on resource allocation for equipment and training, as well as broader strategies to support officer mental health.

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