The ‘cost’ of caring in policing: From burnout to PTSD in police officers in England and Wales

Journal article

Foley, Jim and Massey, K. 2020. The ‘cost’ of caring in policing: From burnout to PTSD in police officers in England and Wales. The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles. 94 (3), pp. 298-315. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032258x20917442
AuthorsFoley, Jim and Massey, K.
AbstractThis article looks at secondary trauma of police officers caused by working with traumatised victims, examining what is the true ‘cost of caring’ for police officers in England and Wales. It will discuss common work-related ‘stressors’ in policing and review the concepts commonly associated with secondary trauma such as ‘burnout’, ‘vicarious trauma’, ‘compassion fatigue’, ‘secondary traumatic stress’ and their impact. It will conclude with some recommendations and highlight the serious lack of literature on this topic, making secondary trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder in policing an under researched area, particularly in relation to the effects of cumulative trauma in policing.
KeywordsPolicing; Burnout; PTSD; Trauma
Year2020
JournalThe Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles
Journal citation94 (3), pp. 298-315
PublisherSAGE Publications
ISSN0032-258X
1740-5599
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1177/0032258x20917442
Official URLhttp://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X20917442
Publication dates
Print14 May 2020
Online14 May 2020
Publication process dates
Deposited27 May 2020
Accepted author manuscript
License
Output statusPublished
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https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/8v960/the-cost-of-caring-in-policing-from-burnout-to-ptsd-in-police-officers-in-england-and-wales

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