scholarly journals The ‘cost’ of caring in policing: From burnout to PTSD in police officers in England and Wales

2020 ◽  
pp. 0032258X2091744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Foley ◽  
Kristina Louise Dawn Massey

This article looks at secondary trauma of police officers caused by working with traumatised victims, examining what is the true ‘cost of caring’ for police officers in England and Wales. It will discuss common work-related ‘stressors’ in policing and review the concepts commonly associated with secondary trauma such as ‘burnout’, ‘vicarious trauma’, ‘compassion fatigue’, ‘secondary traumatic stress’ and their impact. It will conclude with some recommendations and highlight the serious lack of literature on this topic, making secondary trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder in policing an under researched area, particularly in relation to the effects of cumulative trauma in policing.

2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Foley ◽  
Kristina Massey

This article will review available literature regarding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within policing in England and Wales, with a particular focus on its early identification and prevention. An overview of PTSD will be given as well as an exploration of why police officers are potentially more susceptible to this mental health condition compared to other members of society. Key factors in the early identification and prevention of PTSD will be outlined, with a focus on crisis intervention techniques which have been subject to considerable academic study. There is limited research available from England and Wales that looks specifically at PTSD in policing; this research deficit will be highlighted and key areas of research which need to be explored further will be given so that this problem can be both identified and prevented in officers.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0032258X2199041
Author(s):  
Jim Foley ◽  
Alex Hassett ◽  
Emma Williams

The aim of this review is to identify and critically examine existing research relating to secondary trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) within UK police officers. A systematised literature review was conducted which identified 20 studies in police officers from Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. These studies comprised of terrorist incidents, mass disasters, general policing duties and officers working in rape and child abuse investigations. Key themes emerged regarding understanding the impact of trauma, the influence of police culture and understanding coping mechanisms. It also found a number of methodological limitations within the studies which are likely to have impacted on the results. This review highlighted that trauma in UK policing is still not understood and there is a stigma associated with officers seeking help. Recognising the impact of trauma on police officers and how trauma has affected them is crucial to ensure an effective and compassionate workforce which delivers a better service to the public. It is hoped that this review will address gaps in existing knowledge within the literature, consider implications for practice, as well as recommendations to be taken forward in this crucial area of research.


2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Helene St-Hilaire ◽  
Jonathan Chevrier ◽  
Thomas Neylan ◽  
Charles Marmar ◽  
Thomas Metzler

Author(s):  
Allison Watters ◽  
Kevin Hamilton ◽  
J. Patrick Neary ◽  
Gregory Anderson

Previous studies on Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) in fire-fighters have typically examined group responses to unusual and traumatic events. In this study, symptoms of PTS were observed in a group of urban Canadian firefighters during routine operations in the context of typical daily work. Participants completed a PTS questionnaire as well as a workplace health questionnaire which assessed environmental and contextual factors in addition to personal health. Elevated levels of PTS were observed in 18.1% of the 105 fire-fighters studied. Those who reported elevated symptoms also reported more concern for financial issues, more worries and more concern about needing physical exercise and support services. These results indicate that emergency response professionals such as fire-fighters can develop elevated levels of PTS in the context of routine work. The findings also suggest that the development of PTS involves a complex relationship between characteristics of stressors, work related variables and other contextual factors specific to the individuals affected. Complex models are needed to account for these types of interactions, particularly in chronically stressful occupational settings. Strategies for mitigating symptoms of PTS are discussed and suggestions for future research are offered


Author(s):  
Philip Woods

The epilogue looks at what happened to the correspondents after the Burma retreat, raising questions about the cost, both physical and psychological of war reporting. It argues that some of the correspondents, such as George Rodger and Jack Belden, may have suffered from what today would be described as post-traumatic stress. Many of the correspondents, such as Belden, Wilfred Burchett and Leland Stowe, seem to have been politically radicalized by their wartime experiences. The conclusion evaluates the contributions of the correspondents and argues that, despite the constraints they faced, and the shortcuts they sometimes took in response to those constraints, their work is a valuable and under-used historical resource.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie J Lewis ◽  
Louise Arseneault ◽  
Avshalom Caspi ◽  
Helen L Fisher ◽  
Timothy Matthews ◽  
...  

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