A Mixed-Methods Exploration of the ‘Act Don’t React’ Intervention and Trauma-Informed Attitudinal and Behavioural Change in Police Scotland

Background Police officers are responding to a growing number of calls involving psychological distress and mental health crises. Despite their central involvement, officers report feeling professionally misplaced and ill-equipped in managing such incidents. This study contributes to the limited policing literature by offering the first evaluation of Act Don’t React (ADR), a novel neurobiology-based training designed to enhance trauma awareness and utilisation of emotion regulation and communication techniques to promote de-escalation. Aim To examine the impact of ADR on trauma-informed attitudes and to explore the individual, cultural and organisational factors that influence attitudinal and behavioural change among police officers. Method A mixed-methods evaluation assessed quantitative changes in attitudes using the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care scale (ARTIC-45; Baker et al., 2016) administered pre and post training, with paired samples t -tests examining change across domains, alongside semi-structured in-depth interviews analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA; Braun & Clarke, 2019). Results Significant improvements were observed in the overall ARTIC mean score and in five of the seven subscales following training, indicating endorsement of trauma-informed attitudes. RTA generated five overarching themes: Police Identity in Flux, Understanding the Person Behind the Behaviour, Values-Driven Relational Policing, The Human Cost of Policing, Preconceptions and Bias in Police-Public Interactions. Conclusion This first mixed-methods evaluation of ADR provides preliminary evidence for its potential effectiveness and applicability. However, findings also highlight the entrenched cultural and systemic constraints that may limit the sustained implementation of trauma-informed approaches within policing contexts.