Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Criminal Justice

Advisor

John Walker

Abstract

A notable problem exists within law enforcement due to the lack of mental health assistance offered for police officers, as well as little to no literature available pertaining to officers in law enforcement who may have mental health issues. Without proper coping methods, there is a higher possibility of suicide among police officers. Therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to investigate why officers were choosing to not seek mental and behavioral health assistance, as well as determine factors that could both prevent as well as encourage officers to seek mental health assistance if needed. Grounded in the theoretical frameworks of rational choice, strain theory, interpersonal psychological theory of suicide, and socialization theory, data were collected from a convenience sample of 21 police officers from a local agency in Nebraska by way of electronic surveys using the Operational Police Stress Questionnaire, as well as a demographic survey. According to the findings, the police officers surveyed chose to not seek mental and behavioral health assistance due to a lack of trust in leadership. More specifically, the officers expressed concern about the stigma associated with seeking mental health assistance and fear of retribution from the administration. The potential for positive social change as a result of this study, is that the findings may be used to inform leaders of law enforcement agencies how to make adjustments to better serve the officers regarding their mental health, which in turn could possibly reduce the rise of suicides by officers in the future.

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