Eliana Barrios Suarez wants to reduce the risks of post-traumatic stress injuries among police officers.
The associate professor of social work at Wilfred Laurie University will lead a new study on PTSI.
On Friday, The Canadian Institutes of Health Research announced funding for her research.
"There has been previous research examining post-traumatic stress symptoms such as depression, anxiety and substance use, but what makes our project different is that we will focus on resilience - how some people remain functioning well despite exposure to similar stress," Suarez said in a release.
The project, which will start in March, will also look at how officers prefer to receive mental health information and resources.
The first major phase of research will be an online survey open to every police officer in Ontario.
Ginette Lafrenière and Abdelfettah Elkchirid, both with Laurier’s Faculty of Social Work, will also be helping with the study, along with Jose Arocha of the University of Waterloo.
The other collaborators are Sandra Hoy of Laurentian University and Frank Sirotich of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
"Police forces are already moving to a more inclusive approach in helping their members to access services when they need them, yet there are still tragic consequences to the distress police officers suffer," Suarez added. "We hope our research and the stories of resilience people are willing to share will help create more understanding and support for occupational stress injuries."
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