My Research
The law enforcement career can be a stressful one. Research indicates that the stress from policing can have a negative impact on the lives of police officers and some studies find that officers have higher rates of suicide, divorce, and substance abuse when compared to other occupations and in some cases in comparison to the general public. Over the last thirty years the number and types of services available to the average officer across the country has increased. We now have employee assistance programs, peer counselors, Critical Incident Stress Management & Debriefing, among other options. In spite of these advances, research indicates that officers still do not use services. Researchers and practitioners have reported that officers are not willing to use these services because they do not trust the confidentiality of such services and fear the possible stigma that might result from the use of services. In addition, some report that police culture and the bureacracy of police organizations negatively impact an officer's willingness to use stress intervention services. My research hopes to answer the question "what factors shape officer willingness to use services" by using both qualitative and quantiative methods. The research concentrates on how stigma, confidentiality, and organizational support influence officer willingness to use stress inervention services.
My research includes four main parts. Two parts require participation from law enforcement officers; the other two parts involve law enforcement agencies.
Law Enforcement Officers:
I. Qualitative Portion: Interviews with Officers: (COMPLETED) During the spring of 2011, I interviewed 46 law enforcement officers from across the state of Pennsylvania to obtain their perspective's on stress intervention services and factors that shpe officer willingness to use services.
II. Police Officer Questionnaire: (COMPLETED): In July, with the help of the Fraternal Order of Police, 4000 questionnaires will be mailed to a randomly selected sample of law enforcement officer/ FOP members. The questionnaires provided vital information important to the study, including the police officers' perspectives on the availability of services through their agency and their willingness to use those services.
III. Law Enforcement Agency Survey: (COMPLETED): Part of the goal of this dissertation was to be able to describe the nature and extent of stress intervention services available to police officers throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A survey was sent to all law enforcement agencies throughout the Commonwealth to obtain information on the nature and extent of services for police.
IV. Policy and Procedure Content Review: (COMPLETED): The Law Enforcement Agency Survey asks police chiefs and administrative officers from across the Commonwealth to submit policies and procedures for me to review. Again, at present, we know little about the organizational response to police officers who have experienced a critical incident or are having issues with stress. The policy and procedure content review obtained information use to better understand the organizational response to police officer stress.
I successfully defended my dissertation research on March 30, 2012!
Update: My disseration is now available on ProQuest. If you have access to a university library, you can view and/or download the dissertation (see title above) at ProQuest. Or, you can simply email me and I will share it with you ([email protected]).
My research includes four main parts. Two parts require participation from law enforcement officers; the other two parts involve law enforcement agencies.
Law Enforcement Officers:
I. Qualitative Portion: Interviews with Officers: (COMPLETED) During the spring of 2011, I interviewed 46 law enforcement officers from across the state of Pennsylvania to obtain their perspective's on stress intervention services and factors that shpe officer willingness to use services.
II. Police Officer Questionnaire: (COMPLETED): In July, with the help of the Fraternal Order of Police, 4000 questionnaires will be mailed to a randomly selected sample of law enforcement officer/ FOP members. The questionnaires provided vital information important to the study, including the police officers' perspectives on the availability of services through their agency and their willingness to use those services.
III. Law Enforcement Agency Survey: (COMPLETED): Part of the goal of this dissertation was to be able to describe the nature and extent of stress intervention services available to police officers throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A survey was sent to all law enforcement agencies throughout the Commonwealth to obtain information on the nature and extent of services for police.
IV. Policy and Procedure Content Review: (COMPLETED): The Law Enforcement Agency Survey asks police chiefs and administrative officers from across the Commonwealth to submit policies and procedures for me to review. Again, at present, we know little about the organizational response to police officers who have experienced a critical incident or are having issues with stress. The policy and procedure content review obtained information use to better understand the organizational response to police officer stress.
I successfully defended my dissertation research on March 30, 2012!
Update: My disseration is now available on ProQuest. If you have access to a university library, you can view and/or download the dissertation (see title above) at ProQuest. Or, you can simply email me and I will share it with you ([email protected]).