Police work on domestic violence: impacts on the police officers O trabalho policial na violência doméstica: impactos nos polícias
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Abstract
In Portugal, domestic violence (DV) is currently one of the main types of criminality recorded by the police forces and it is not a recent phenomenon. According to the Annual Internal Security Report 2021, there was a total of 26,520 reports of DV in 2021. All protection services and professionals to victims of this type of crime (and others), in which police officers are included, are characterised by the systematic exposure to traumatic situations. The manifest or latent violence they usually face may result in problems at the level of physical and psychological health of police officers, making them potential secondary victims. These consequences were studied in a qualitative research of exploratory nature. We present the results of the content analysis of 14 semi-structured interviews conducted with police officers of the Portuguese Public Security Police who systematically work with victims of DV.
Keywords: domestic violence; police officers; secondary victimisation; traumatic situations.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The journal has exclusive rights over the first publication, printed and/or digital, of this academic text, which does not affect the copyright of the person responsible for the research.
The reproduction (in whole or in part) of the published material depends on the express mention of this journal as the origin, by citing the volume, edition number and the DOI link for cross-reference. For rights purposes, the original publication source must be recorded.
The use of the results published here in other vehicles of scientific divulgation, even if by the authors, depends on the express indication of this journal as a means of original publication, under penalty of characterizing a situation of self-plagiarism.
____________________________________________
Additional information and author statements
(scientific integrity)
Declaration of conflict of interest: The author(s) confirm that there are no conflicts of interest in conducting this research and writing this article.
Authorship statement: All and only researchers who meet the authorship requirements for this article are listed as authors; all co-authors are fully responsible for this work in its entirety.
Declaration of originality: The author(s) guarantee that the text published here has not been previously published elsewhere and that future republication will only be made with express reference to the original place of publication; also certifies that there is no plagiarism of third-party material or self-plagiarism.
____________________________________________
Archiving and distribution
The final published PDF can be archived, without restrictions, on any open access server, indexer, repository or personal page, such as Academia.edu and ResearchGate.
How to Cite
References
ALEXANDER, David A.; WALKER, Leslie G. “The perceived impact of police work on police officers’ spouses and families”. Stress Medicine, vol. 12 (4): 239-246, 1996. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1700(199610)12:43.0.CO;2-3
AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. 2013. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
BARDIN, Laurence. Análise de Conteúdo. Lisboa: Edições 70, 1977.
BISHOPP, Stephen A.; BOOTS, Denise P. “General strain theory, exposure to violence, and suicide ideation among police officers: A gendered approach”. Journal of Criminal Justice, vol. 42 (6): 538-548, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2014.09.007
CAN, S. Hakan; HENDY, Helen M. “Police stressors, negative outcomes associated with them and coping mechanisms that may reduce these associations”. The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles, vol. 87 (3): 167-177, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1350/pojo.2014.87.3.676
CARLIER, Ingrid V. E.; VOERMAN, A. E.; GERSONS, Berthold P. R. “The influence of occupational stress debriefing on post-traumatic stress symptomatology in traumatized police officers”. British Journal of Medical Psychology, vol. 73 (1): 87-98, 2000. https://doi.org/10.1348/000711200160327
CHOPKO, Brian A.; PALMIERI, Patrick A.; ADAMS, Richard E. (2015). “Critical Incident History Questionnaire replication: Frequency and severity of trauma exposure among officers from small to midsize police agencies”. Journal of Traumatic Stress, vol. 28 (2): 157-161, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.21996
COLLINS, Pamela A.; Gibbs, A. C. C. “Stress in police officers: a study of the origins, prevalence and severity of stress-related symptoms within a county police force”. Occupational Medicine, vol. 53 (4): 256-264, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqg061
COLLINS, Peter. Psychological Debriefing: Are we Doing more Harm than Good? 2019. Retrieved from https://www.blueline.ca/psychological-debriefing-are-we-doing-more-harm-than-good-6321/
COMRIE, Nazmia E. A.; ELKINS, Faye. “Preventing officer-involved domestic violence”. The Community Policing Dispatch, vol. 13 (10). 2020. Retrieved from https://cops.usdoj.gov/html/dispatch/10-2020/officer_committed_domestic_violence.html
COPENHAVER, Allen; TEWKSBURY, Richard. “Predicting state police officer willingness to seek professional help for depression”. Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society, vol. 19 (1): 60-74, 2018.
CORCORAN, Jacqueline; STEPHENSON, Margaret; PERRYMAN, Derrelin; ALLEN, Shannon. “Perceptions and utilization of a police-social work crisis intervention approach to domestic violence”. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, vol. 82 (4): 393-398, 2001. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.181
DANIEL, Alan M.; TREECE, Kelly S. “Law enforcement pathways to mental health: Secondary traumatic stress, social support, and social pressure”. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 37:132-140, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-021-09476-5
DANIELI, Yael; BROM, Danny; SILLS, Joe (eds.). The trauma of Terrorism: Sharing Knowledge and Shared Care, An International Handbook. New York: The Haworth Maltreatment and Trauma Press, 2005.
DIGLIANI, Jack A. Law Enforcement Critical Incident Handbook (e-version). United States. 2012. Retrieved from: http://post.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/postnvgov/content/Training/Critical%20Incident%20Handbook.pdf Accessed: 18 April 2022.
DOCKSTADER, Jessica. Policing Through the Pain: How Trauma Impacts Police Officers. International Public Safety Association, 2019.
DURÃO, Susana. “Silenciamentos subtis: Atendimento policial, cidadania e justiça em casos de vítimas de violência doméstica”. Análise Social, vol. 209, 48 (4): 878-899, 2013.
FINN, Peter; TALUCCI, Vincent; WOOD, Jenifer. “On-the-job stress in policing: Reducing it, preventing it”. National Institute of Justice Journal, 18-24, 2000, January. Retrieved from https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/jr000242d.pdf
FONTANA, Andrea; FREY, James H. “Interviewing: The art of science”. In: DENZIN, N.; LINCOLN, Y. (eds.). Handbook of Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1994. p. 361-376.
FRAESS-PHILLIPS, Alex; WAGNER, Shannon; HARRIS, R. Luke. “Fire fighters and traumatic stress: A review”. International Journal of Emergency Services, vol. 6 (1): 67-80, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJES-10-2016-0020
GHIGLIONE, Rodolphe; MATALON, Benjamin. O Inquérito: Teoria e Prática. 2.ª ed. Oeiras: Celta, 1993.
GONÇALVES, Sónia M. P. Bem-Estar no Trabalho em Contexto Policial: O Contributo dos Valores e das Práticas Organizacionais. 2011. Thesis (Philosophy Doctor in Psychology). Escola de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Departamento de Psicologia Social e das Organizações, ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Lisboa. 2011. from: http://hdl.handle.net/10071/4952 Accessed: 08 May 2021.
HACKETT, Dell P.; VIOLANTI, John M. Police Suicide: Tactics for Prevention. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, 2003.
HESKETH, Ian; TEHRANI, Noreen. Responding to Trauma in Policing: A Practical Guide. College of Policing, 2018.
HEYMAN, Miriam; DILL, Jeff; DOUGLAS, Robert. The Ruderman White Paper on Mental Health and Suicide in First Responders. The Ruderman Family Foundation, 2018.
JOSEPH, Stephen; MURPHY, David; REGEL, Stephen. (2015). “Post-traumatic growth in police officers: Guidelines for facilitating post-traumatic growth”. In: Clevenger, S. M. F.; Miller, L.; Moore, B. A.; Freeman, A. (eds.). Behind the Badge: A Psychological Treatment Handbook for Law Enforcement Officers. New York, NY: Routledge, 2015. p. 256-268.
KITAEFF, Jack (ed.). Handbook of Police Psychology. 2nd ed., rev. New York, NY: Routlegde, 2019.
KIVISTO, Aaron J.; MOORE, Todd M.; ELKINS, Sara R.; RHATIGAN, Deborah L. “The effects of PTSD symptomatology on laboratory-based aggression”. Journal of Traumatic Stress, vol. 22 (4): 344-347, 2009.
KRIPPENDORFF, Klaus. Content Analysis: An Introduction to its Methodology. Newbury Park: Sage, 1980.
LANE, Jeanine; LE, Marina; MARTIN, Krystle; BICKLE, Korri; CAMPBELL, Erin; RICCIARDELLI, Rosemary. “Police attitudes toward seeking professional mental health treatment”. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 37: 123-131, 2022 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-021-09467-6
LAZARUS, Richard S.; FOLKMAN, Susan. Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. New York, NY: Springfield Publishing Company, 1984.
LENTZ, Liana M.; SMITH-MACDONALD, Lorraine; MALLOY, David; CARLETON, R. Nicholas; BRÉMAULT-PHILLIPS, Suzette. “Compromised conscience: A scoping review of moral injury among firefighters, paramedics, and police officers”. Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 12 (art 639781): 1-15, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.639781
MACHADO, Paulo; PAIS, Lúcia G.; MORGADO, Sónia; FELGUEIRAS, Sérgio. “An inter-organisational response to domestic violence: The pivotal role of police in Porto, Portugal”. European Law Enforcement Research Bulletin, 21 (summer): 121-139, 2021. Retrieved from https://bulletin.cepol.europa.eu/index.php/bulletin/article/view/418
MARSHALL, Ellen K. “Cumulative career traumatic stress (CCTS): A pilot study of traumatic stress in law enforcement”. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, vol. 21 (1): 62-71, 2006. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF028 49503
MARTINELLI, Aline. Atitudes das Forças Policiais Face à Violência Doméstica e Implicações na sua Atuação. 2019. Dissertation (Masters in Criminology). Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Porto. 2019. Retrieved from https://bdigital.ufp.pt/bitstream/10284/7500/3/DM_Aline%20Martinelli.pdf Accessed: 09 May 2021.
MATIAS, Andreia; GONÇALVES, Mariana; SOEIRO, Cristina; MATOS, Marlene. “Intimate partner homicide: A meta-analysis of risk factors”. Aggression and Violent Behavior, vol. 50 (art 101358), 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2019.101358
MCNALLY, Richard J.; BRYANT, Richard A.; EHLERS, Anke. “Does early psychological intervention promote recovery from posttraumatic stress?” Psychological Science in the Public Interest, vol. 4 (2), 45-79, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1111/1529-1006.01421
MILLER, Laurence. “Police officer stress: Syndromes and strategies for intervention”. In: Clevenger, S. M. F.; Miller, L.; Moore, B. A.; Freeman, A. (eds.). Behind the Badge: A Psychological Treatment Handbook for Law Enforcement Officers. New York, NY: Routledge, 2015. p. 202-221.
MILLER, Laurence. The Psychology of Police Deadly Force Encounters: Science, Practice, and Policy. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, 2020.
MITCHELL, Jeffrey T. “Law enforcement applications for critical incident stress teams”. In: Reese, J. T.; Horn, J. M.; Dunnings, C. (eds.). Critical Incident in Policing. Rev. ed. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1991. p. 201-212.
MITCHELL, Jeffrey T.; EVERLY JR., George S. “Critical incident stress management and critical incident stress debriefings: Evolutions, effects and outcomes”. In: Raphael, B.; Wilson, J. P. (eds.). Psychological Debriefing: Theory, Practice and Evidence. London: Cambridge University Press, 2000. p. 71-90.
PAPAZOGLOU, Konstantinos. “Conceptualizing police complex spiral trauma and its applications in the police field”. Traumatology, vol. 19 (3): 196-209, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534765612466151
PASSEIRA, Andrea V. V. Stress Laboral na PSP. 2011. Dissertation (Masters in Occupational safety and hygiene). Escola Superior de Ciências Empresariais, Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal. 2011. Retrieved from https://comum.rcaap.pt/bitstream/10400.26/4007/1/TESE_Stress%20Laboral%20na%20PSP_Andrea%20Passeira_CD.pdf Accessed: 08 May 2021.
PATON, Douglas; VIOLANTI, John M. “Vulnerability to traumatic stress: personal, organizational, and contextual influences”. In: Violanti, J. M.; Paton, D. (eds.). Who Gets PTSD? Issues of Posttraumatic Stress Vulnerability. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, 2006. p. 3-17.
PRICE, Marilyn. “Psychiatric disability in law enforcement officer”. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, vol. 35 (2): 113-123, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2278
REGEHR, Cheryl; BOBER, Ted. In the Line of Fire: Trauma in the Emergency Services. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2005.
SHANE, Jon M. “Organizational stressors and police performance”. Journal of Criminal Justice, vol. 38 (4): 807-818, 2010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2010.05.008
Sistema de Segurança Interna (Portugal). Relatório Anual de Segurança Interna 2021. Gabinete do Secretário-Geral do Sistema de Segurança Interna, 2022. Retrieved from: https://www.portugal.gov.pt/download-ficheiros/ficheiro.aspx?v=%3D%3DBQAAAB%2BLCAAAAAAABAAzNLI0NgcAIUgtZwUAAAA%3D Accessed: 28 MAY 2022.
SPENCER, Chelsea M.; STITH, Sandra M. “Risk factors for male perpetration and female victimization of intimate partner homicide: A meta-analysis”. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, vol. 21 (3): 527-540, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838018781101
SPIELBERGER, Charles D.; WESTBERRY, Lynne G.; GRIER, Kenneth S.; GREENFIELD, Gloria. The Police Stress Survey: Sources of Stress in Law Enforcement (Human Resources Institute, Monograph Series 3 (6)). Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1981.
THOMAS, David J. Police Psychology: A New Specialty and New Challenges for Men and Women in Blue. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2011. Retrieved from: https://www.abebooks.com/9780313387289/Police-Psychology-New-Specialty-Challenges-0313387281/plp
TORCHALLA, Iris; STREHLAU, Verena. “The evidence base for interventions targeting individuals with work-related PTSD: A systematic review and recommendations”. Behavior Modification, vol. 42 (2): 273-303, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445517725048
van der VELDEN, Peter G.; RADEMAKER, Arthur R.; VERMETTEN, Eric; PORTENGEN, Marie-Anne; YZERMANS, Joris C.; GRIEVINK, Linda. “Police officers: A high-risk group for the development of mental health disturbances? A cohort study”. BMJ Open 2013, 3: e001720. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2012-001720
VIOLANTI, John M. “The mind-body nexus: assessing psychological distress and physiological vulnerability in police officers”. In: Violanti, J. M.; Paton, D. (eds.). Who Gets PTSD? Issues of Posttraumatic Stress Vulnerability. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, 2006. p. 17-32.
VIOLANTI, John M. Dying for the Job: Police Work Exposure and Health. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, 2014.
VIOLANTI, John M. “Of mind and body: Health consequences of stress and trauma on police officers”. In: Clevenger, S. M. F.; Miller, L.; Moore, B. A.; Freeman, A. (eds.). Behind the Badge: A Psychological Treatment Handbook for Law Enforcement Officers. New York, NY: Routledge, 2015. p. 44-69.
VIOLANTI, John M.; CHARLES, Luenda E.; MCCANLIES, Erin; HARTLEY, Tara A.; BAUGHMAN, Penelope; ANDREW, Michael E.; FEKEDULEGN, Desta; MA, Claudia C.; MNATSAKANOVA, Anna; BURCHFIEL, Cecil M. “Police stressores and health: A state-of-the-art review”. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 40 (4), 642-656, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-06-2016-0097
VIOLANTI, John M.; FEKEDULGEN, Desta; HARTLEY, Tara A.; CHARLES, Luenda E.; ANDREW, Michael E.; MA, Claudia C.; BURCHFIEL, Cecil M. “Highly rated and most frequent stressors among police officers: Gender differences”. American Journal of Criminal Justice, vol. 41 (4): 645-662, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-016-9342-x
WATERS, Judith A.; USSERY, William. “Police stress: History, contributing factors, symptoms, and interventions”. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 30 (2): 169-188, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1108/13639510710753199
WEBER, Robert Philip. Basic Content Analysis. Beverly Hills: Sage, 1985.
WHITE, Elizabeth K.; HONIG, Audrey L. “Law enforcement families”. In: Kurke, M. I.; Scrivner, E. M. (eds.). Police Psychology Into the 21st Century. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1995. p. 189-206.
WHITE, Amy K.; SHRADER, Gregory; CHAMBERLAIN, Jared. “Perceptions of law enforcement officers in seeking mental health treatment in a right-to-work state”. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, vol. 31 (2): 141-154, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-015-9175-4
YOUNG, Bruce H.; FORD, Julian D.; RUZEK, Josef I.; FRIEDMAN, Matthew J.; GUSMAN, Fred D. Disaster Mental Health Services: A Guidebook for Clinicians and Administrators. Menlo Park, CA: Department of Veterans Affairs, The National Center for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, 2001.