Life Satisfaction Amongst Police Officers Working in the Area of Child Abuse Investigation
| Author | Martine B. Powell,Adrian J. Tomyn |
| DOI | 10.1350/ijps.2011.13.2.225 |
| Published date | 01 June 2011 |
| Date | 01 June 2011 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Life satisfaction amongst police officers
working in the area of child abuse
investigation
Martine B. Powell‡ and Adrian J. Tomyn†
‡(Corresponding author) School of Psychology, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy,
Burwood, 3125, Australia. Tel: 61 3 9244 6106; Fax: 61 3 9244 6858; email:
martine.powell@deakin.edu.au.
†School of Health Sciences, Discipline of Psychology, RMIT University, Bundoora,
Australia.
Submitted 27 September 2010; revision submitted 13 February 2011;
accepted 16 February 2011
Keywords: stress and policing, vicarious trauma, life satisfaction
Martine Powell is Professor of Psychology and
as well as clinical depression. The results revealed
a widely recognised expert in the area of child
that, irrespective of the officers’ gender or degree
abuse investigation. She has published over 130
of exposure to child abuse cases, the mean score
papers on the topic; her focus has been invest-
from LS score was within the expected adult
igative interview technique as well as the per-
normative range. Further, the overall incidence of
sonal and organisational barriers that inhibit
low LS in this sample (1.9 per cent) was not
effective child abuse investigation and the identi-
significantly different from the general population
fication of strategies for overcoming these.
(4.3 per cent). The implications of these findings
Adrian Tomyn is an early career researcher who
for police organisations are discussed.
specialises in the area of mental wellbeing. He
completed his PhD on the topic of life satisfac-
tion, under the supervision of Professor Robert
INTRODUCTION
Cummins (a leading international expert on the
Child abuse investigation is an area of
topic).
work reported to be associated with high
levels of work stress, placing professionals
A
who work in the area at a higher risk of
BSTRACT
Child abuse investigation is an area of work
psychological harm than the general popu-
reported to be associated with high levels of work
lation (Chouliara, Hutchison, & Karatzias,
stress. This potentially places professionals at risk
2009; Stevens & Higgins, 2002). In the
of psychological harm and may lead to lower life
clinical literature, the association between
satisfaction than in the general population. The
exposure to traumatic case material (eg,
current study examined this issue within a large
child sexual abuse) and trauma-related
sample of Australian police officers. Specifically,
symptoms (eg, anxiety, depression) amongst
214 officers working in the area of child abuse
professionals is well established. The risk of
investigation responded to a single global measure
developing such symptoms seems to be
International Journal of Police
Science and Management,
of life satisfaction (LS) known to be highly
heightened amongst females, those with a
Vol. 13 No. 2, 2011, pp. 187–194.
DOI: 10.1350/ijps.2011.13.2.225
related to other measures of subjective wellbeing
personal history of childhood maltreatment
Page 187
Satisfaction amongst police officers working in child abuse investigation
and those who carry relatively large case-
of the stressors they face (eg, Wright et al.,
loads (Brady, Guy, Poelstra, & Brokaw,
2006) as opposed to using normative mea-
1999; Schauben & Frazier, 1995).
sures of mental and/or physical wellbeing to
The risk of psychological injury from
examine the functioning of professionals
exposure to traumatic case material is rele-
relative to the general population. The
vant to all professionals in the field of child
current study makes one small, albeit
abuse investigation (eg, social workers, ther-
important, contribution to this area by
apists) including police officers (Coman,
implementing a global normative measure
Evans, Stanley, & Burrows, 1991; Dantzer,
of subjective wellbeing in a large sample of
1987; Kroes, Hurrell, & Margolis, 1974;
officers; a measure that is known to be
Terry, 1981). Indeed, police officers are less
highly correlated with mood dysfunction
likely than other professionals to seek thera-
and is moderately to highly correlated with
peutic intervention to prevent or moderate
health satisfaction (International Wellbeing
their stress reactions (Follette et al., 1994).
Group, 2006).
Further, police officers are less likely to
Specifically, we asked child abuse invest-
receive adequate training to prepare them to
igators to respond to a single question,
handle child sexual abuse investigations
‘How satisfied are you with your life as a
(Daly, 2005) and are more likely to self-
whole?’, using an 11-point end-defined
medicate with the use of alcohol and other
Likert scale (0 = Completely Dissatisfied;
drugs, which compounds trauma symptoms
5 = Neutral; 10 = Completely Satisfied).
in the long term (Cross & Ashley, 2004).
This item was first developed by Campbell,
Poor conviction rates and exposure to
Converse, and Rodgers (1976) and is one of
offenders as well as victims may also
the most widely adopted global assessments
heighten feelings of compassion fatigue
of subjective wellbeing. Despite being a
amongst police (Violanti & Gehrke, 2004;
single item, it is reported to have adequate
Wright, 2004; Wright, Powell, & Ridge,
psychometric properties (Cummins,
2006).
Eckersley, Pallant, Van Vugt, & Misajon,
Given the potentially negative psycho-
2003; Diener, Suh, Lucas, & Smith, 1999)
logical impact of working in the area of
and high convergent validity with other
child abuse investigation, law enforcement
frequently used measures of subjective well-
organisations need to ensure that they pro-
being (International Wellbeing Group,
vide work contexts and procedures that
2006; Tomyn & Cummins, 2010). More
maximise worker safety. One such pro-
importantly for this study, scores on the
cedure, adopted in some jurisdictions, is to
single-item measure of life satisfaction are
limit the time that professionals can work in
known to...
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