"Police Culture Influence on Mental Health of Federal Law Enforcement O" by Ania Amat

Date of Conferral

2-4-2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Grace Telesco

Abstract

Occupational stressors are inherent in police work. Left unmitigated, these stressors may have deleterious effects on officers’ overall health. Police agencies throughout the country offer organizational resilience programs to aid officers navigate stressors. A constraint keeping officers from seeking mental health wellness are the unspoken social norms of police culture. Police culture stigmatizes mental health seeking behaviors, deterring officers from accessing organizational resilience programs. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions and lived experiences of federal law enforcement officers regarding mental health-seeking behaviors and the influence of the police culture. Study participants included 16 federal law enforcement officers representing four federal agencies. Study findings revealed five themes addressing the research question. First, the need for proactive resiliency programing and normalization of mental health seeking behaviors. Second, the skewed view of being an officer and how it generates bias towards mental health wellness. Third, the influence of leaders on police culture. Fourth, the disconnect between resilience programs managed at headquarters and field level programming. Fifth, how officers’ occupational identity affects their willingness to seek help in agency resilience programs. This study will promote positive social change by providing empirical data to leverage police culture and make mental health wellness accessible to all without the fear of stigma or retaliation. Positive social change implications also include reducing officer burnout, enhancing career perception, building coping strategies, and improving relationships with the community and stakeholders.

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