Factors which contribute to law enforcement avoidance of mental health services.

摘要

The negative impact of stress in police works has been well documented in the literature. While many law enforcement agencies have made mental health services available to officers, the problem of avoidance of seeking treatment exists in the law enforcement community just as it does in the general population. The current study was aimed at identifying factors which contribute to officer avoidance of mental health services. Officers (n=141) from California and Texas law enforcement agencies completed an online survey measuring the avoidance factors of attitudes towards seeking psychological services, stigma from others, self stigma, self concealment, fear of therapy and disclosure distress. A MANOVA was conducted in order to examine the differences between officer age and experience level on the measured avoidance factors. Results were unable to establish a relationship between the variables of age and experience and the six avoidance factors being examined. However, additional post hoc analysis of previous officer experience in psychotherapy determined that officers who had previously participated in psychotherapy reported more highly positive attitudes towards seeking mental health services when compared to those officers who had not received prior treatment. These results highlight the importance of making mental health services available law enforcement personnel and it is hoped that continued exposure to mental health professionals will encourage officers to seek out treatment. Limitations of this study include smaller than expected sample size, overly-cautious attitudes of officer participants, departmental constraints and use of avoidance variables which have been identified in the general public but not in an officer sample. Future research should be focus on identifying specific avoidance factors which exist among the law enforcement community.