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StressNCT06928610

Heart Math Resilience Program on Jail Staff

A study testing HeartMath Resilience Program in people with Stress, run by Florida State University at 1 site in United States.

Suspended

Paused. Enrolment is on hold for now and may resume.

Official record
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Trial summary

The study is a multiple cohort, staggered-entry, waitlist randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a comprehensive resiliency-based program in reducing stress for correctional officers employed by the Leon County Sheriff's Office in Tallahassee, FL. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Stress
What is being tested?
HeartMath Resilience Program
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
300 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
18 Mar 2025to Jan 2029
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Leon County Sheriff's Office jail correctional officers.
  • Attending a defensive tactics training by Leon County Sheriff's Office
  • Age 18 years or older
  • Conversational English
  • Being willing and cognitively able to provide consent.

Who cannot join

  • Not meeting Inclusion Criteria

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site

  • Leon County Detention Facilities

    Tallahassee, Florida, 32304

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: A Randomized Controlled Trial of the HeartMath Resilience Program: Exploring the Impact of Stress on Jail Staff Performance and Retention

The study is a multiple cohort, staggered-entry, waitlist randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a comprehensive resiliency-based program in reducing stress for correctional officers employed by the Leon County Sheriff's Office in Tallahassee, FL.

Read the detailed description

The primary objective of the study is to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive resiliency-based intervention, HeartMath, designed to reduce stress for correctional officers (COs) currently employed with the Leon County Sherriff's Office in Tallahassee, Florida. The study will also examine whether the intervention 1) improves perceptions of job satisfaction, workplace safety, and occupational stress; 2) improves CO retention and decreases absenteeism; 3) results in less punitive attitudes and greater apprehension to employ use of force.

Conditions
Stress
Being tested
HeartMath Resilience Program
Keywords
Chronic Stress, Perceptions of job satisfaction, Workplace safety, Occupational stress, Retention and absenteeism, Punitive attitudes, Apprehension to employ use of force, HeartMath, Resiliency-based intervention, Correctional officers
Medical subject headings
Occupational Stress

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • HeartMath Resilience ProgramBehavioural

    Also called HeartMath

    Resiliency-based intervention designed to reduce stress, build resilience, and maintain energy levels.

Study groups in NCT06928610
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
HeartMath Resilience ProgramExperimentalParticipants will receive programming alongside their regularly scheduled defensive tactics training.
Receives: Behavioral: HeartMath Resilience Program
Waitlist Control, No InterventionNo interventionParticipants in the waitlist control group will receive their regularly scheduled training programs

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change In Perceived Chronic Stress Level

    Utilizing Wheaton Chronic Stress Inventory participants will rate their perceived stress on a three-point Likert scale (0 = "not true," 1 = "somewhat true," and 2 = "very true"). Scores are summed where higher values indicate more exposure to chronic stress. Scores range from 0 to 102.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

  2. Change in Perceived Work Stress Level

    Utilizing the Work Stress scale participants will rate their perceived work stress on a 4-point Likert scale and summed where higher values indicate more exposure to work stress. Response categories range between 1 (strongly disagree) and 4 (strongly agree). Scores range between 14 and 56.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

Secondary outcomes (10)

  1. Change in Workplace Safety Perceptions

    Utilizing a five-item index tapping overall perceptions of the danger of the officer's workplace (e.g., My job is more dangerous than other jobs). Responses are assessed using four response categories ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). Scores summed with lower values representing increased perception of safety.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

  2. Change in Job Satisfaction

    Utilizing a five-item scale based on the general scale developed by Brayfield and Rothe and subsequently modified for use with COs. Response categories range from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). Scores summed with higher values representing increased levels of job satisfaction.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

  3. Change in Support for Punishment

    Utilizing the Support for Punishment index originally developed by Cullen et al. It is a nine-item self-report index to assess officer attitudes toward punishment and has been used previously to assess CO support for more punitive treatment of incarcerated individuals. Response categories range from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). Scores summed with higher values representing greater support for punishment. Scores range from 9 to 36.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

  4. Change in Support for Treatment

    Utilizing the Support for Treatment index developed by Cullen et al. to be used with COs and consists of eight items tapping officer support for a more treatment-oriented approach to corrections. Response categories range from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). Higher values representing greater support for treatment. Scores range from 8 to 32.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

  5. Change in Readiness to Use Force

    Utilizing a six-item measure originally developed by Griffin and used previously to assess CO attitudes toward the use of force in commonly encountered situations to assess officers' propensity to use force. Responses are assessed using four response categories ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). Higher values representing increased levels of readiness to use force.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

  6. Change in Officer Absenteeism

    Utilizing human resources data provided by LCSO, absenteeism will be measured as the number of days officers called in sick or did not report for a scheduled shift during the study period.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

  7. Officer Employment Status

    Utilizing human resources data provided by LCSO to determine whether an officer was still employed at the end of the study period.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

  8. Change in Organizational Committment

    Utilizing a five-item index tapping officers' connection to their current organization and whether they plan to stay with the organization in the future. Response categories range from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). Scores summed with higher values representing increased levels of organizational commitment. Scores range from 5 to 20.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

  9. Change in Turnover Intent

    Utilizing a four-item index originally developed by Lambert and colleagues to assess COs' intentions to leave their current place of employment. Response categories range from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). Higher values represent greater intent to change employment. Scores range from 4 to 16.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

  10. Change in Views on Absenteeism

    Utilizing a two-item index adapted from previous measures tapping sick leave use and adapted for use with COs to assess officers' perceptions of missing work. Response categories range from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). Higher scores indicate greater willingness to miss work with scores ranging from 2 to 8.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted15 Apr 2025
  2. Study start18 Mar 2025
  3. Primary completionJan 2029 (estimated)
  4. Study completionJan 2029 (estimated)

Why it stopped: Stop order by NIJ

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Randomized controlled trial with an intervention arm and a waitlist control arm
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
300 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06928610
Sponsor's protocol ID
STUDY00004706
Other IDs
15PNIJ-23-GG-02231-NIJB
Status last verified
May 2026
First submitted
8 Apr 2025
Last updated
8 May 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: Individual participant data (IPD) from this clinical trial will be shared in a de-identified format, including demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes, in accordance with applicable regulations and ethical guidelines. Data will be made available upon reasonable request after the completion of the trial and publication of primary results, for a period of three years. Access will be granted to qualified researchers affiliated with academic institutions, justice-involved entities, or regulatory bodies. Researchers interested in accessing the data must submit a formal request to trenn@fsu.edu. Upon approval, data will be shared through a secure data repository or other appropriate methods to ensure participant confidentiality. In addition to the IPD, supporting documents such as the study protocol, statistical analysis plan, and informed consent form may also be available upon request.

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing HeartMath Resilience Program in people with Stress, run by Florida State University at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: paused, as of the sponsor's last update on 8 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change In Perceived Chronic Stress Level (time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06928610.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 8 May 2026.

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