Abstract
Repeated exposure to traumatogenic material is a part of every working day for police officers in specialist units, such as forensic scene investigation and digital forensic analysis, with recent years marking an increase in its volume and intensity (Office for National Statistics (2018). While this may be considered a price paid for choosing to pursue careers in these areas, it is likely to have a significant impact on a professional and personal level, with psychological and physical effects extending beyond the individual’s working hours (Burns et al. in Traumatology 14:20–31, 2008). On the other hand, this important work may contribute to elements of growth and self-development, recognised in existing literature as post-traumatic growth (Tedschi and Calhoun in SAGE Publications, Inc, 1995). The present study adopted a qualitative approach to understanding the lived experiences of seven digital forensic analysts and two forensic scene investigators. Semi-structured interviews explored the impact of their work, as well as their coping strategies and perceived organisational support. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), the study yielded rich personal accounts and identified three superordinate themes: “The effects are inevitable”, “Creating a safe environment”, and “Sense of responsibility and personal growth”. Participants described the inevitable effects of their work, along with their coping strategies developed in response to these. Furthermore, participants considered the safety of their work environment and relationships with their colleagues, while also reflecting on their experience of personal growth through their exposure to adversity. Findings are discussed in relation to theoretical and practical implications, as well as directions for future research.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 539-556 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Journal | Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology |
Volume | 39 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 18 Mar 2024 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Sept 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright © The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Data Access Statement
The data collected and analysed in this qualitative study are not publicly available due to the nature of the research, which involves sensitive and personal information from study participants.Keywords
- Working with potentially distressing material
- Organisational support
- Forensic science practitioners
- Police officers’ mental health
- Post-traumatic growth