Discussion on the increased alcohol consumption among police officers.

Discussion on the increased alcohol consumption among police officers. Assignment Help Leino, T., Eskelinen, K., Summala, H., and Virtanen, M. (2011). Work-related violence, debriefing and increased alcohol consumption among police officers. International Journal of Police Science and Management, 13(2), 149-157.Doi: 10.1350/ijps.2011.13.2.229IntroductionThis study was conducted in Finland as an effort to assess whether or not the traumatic and stressful workplace environment of police officers contributes to increased alcohol consumption (Leino, et al., 2011). The study surveyed Finnish police officers about the effects of untrained and unavailable personnel, violent encounters, and the need for debriefing after traumatic events, and how such items impacted their alcohol use. Results showed that five percent of those participants surveyed had increased their alcohol consumption due to the above listed criteria.Hypotheses of Stress and TraumaLeino, et al. (2011) examined prior research regarding the relation between stress and alcohol consumption in developing their approach to this study. They found a great deal of studies examining the broader concepts, but no study had yet examined the specific daily work lives of police officers, with regard to stressful or traumatic events, and the impacts of such events on the officers alcohol consumption rates. In developing their hypotheses, Leino, et al. (2011) took into account the general workplace culture and attitude of such high pressure jobs when dealing with the aftermath of trauma: the idea that it is considered a weakness to show emotion, and unacceptable for numerous reasons to seek psychological treatment for stresses, but is acceptable, and often encouraged, to utilize alcohol as a numbing agent for the emotional processes.Workplace ViolenceThe study looked at associations between workplace violence experiences and the preventive or recovery measures that might affect, by increasing or decreasing, the stress levels of the police officers involved in such violence. Leino, et al. (2011) developed three basic hypotheses applicable to work-related violence among police officers as follows: (a) lack of debriefing is associated with increased alcohol consumption, (b) shortage of patrol personnel is associated with increased alcohol consumption, and (c) lack of training is associated with increased alcohol consumption.Methods and MeasuresA total of 1,734 Finnish police officers, randomized from the total police population, were mailed a questionnaire with the relevant questions. Included with the survey were instructions and information about the voluntary and anonymous nature of the survey. The questions were brief and contained multiple choice answer options to avoid open-ended responses. Officers were asked the following four questions:1.) Have violent encounters or the threat of violence at work led to an increase in your consumption of alcohol? 1=no 2=somewhat 3=yes2.) Have you received enough training to handle violent situations? 1=yes 2=training has been neither sufficient or insufficient 3=no3.) Do you have sufficient personnel to safely handle violent encounters? 1=seldom or never 2=sometimes 3=often or always4.) Have you received debriefing or other psychological support after violent assault/threats at work? 1=I have never needed it 2=I have never requested it 3=never received it 4=yesAnalysisLeino, et al. (2011) used regression models to analyze responses. The study was correlational and also assessed characteristics about respondents gender, age, marital status, and children. These characteristics were used to determine that those most at risk for increased alcohol consumption due to workplace violence were divorced males, with minor children, who had been on the job for at least four years. Ninety percent of the entirety of respondents were male (2011).ResultsThe outcome demonstrated that 5% of all respondents had increased their alcohol consumption due to workplace violence (Leino, et al., 2011). An additionally significant statistic was that only 26% of all respondents had received debriefing or other forms of psychological treatment at some point in time. Staggeringly, 55% claimed that either only sometimes or never did they feel there were sufficient personnel to handle violent or threatening situations. All three hypotheses were confirmed to some extent of measure (2011).DiscussionThis study is correlational in nature, relying on self-report and hypotheses developed from an assumed or inferred police force workplace culture. Although the study addresses the importance of the need for acceptance and use of psychological treatment within the culture of the police force, it does so without much validity. The study, although a large sample of Finnish officers was utilized, cannot be generalized universally. Finnish police officers are not required to partake in debriefing after violent events, whereas many other departments within western culture make such practice mandatory. Bias from self-report is always a concern, however this study minimized its effects with anonymity and confidentiality. Standard tools of assessment for alcohol or substance abuse were not incorporated, so it is difficult to infer from this study if the officers reporting increases in consumption were reporting minimal or notably greater increases, decreasing the significance of the finding and its impact on both police subculture and effectiveness of policing practices.

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Discussion on the increased alcohol consumption among police officers.
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