Introduction
These days, a number of events can cause traumatic stress to law enforcement and lead to various repercussions. A way of assessing those traumatic events is by reviewing articles such as the one written by Chopko et al. in 2019. Analysis of the article, supported by additional relevant material, can provide more insight into the experiences of people in law enforcement and suggest aspects that need to be changed.
Premise and Supporting Points
First, one should examine the premise of the article and its supporting points. The authors focus on police officers and start by stating that policemen face a number of various traumatic events, including those that involve violent acts (Chopko et al., 2019). With that being said, the article is based on the connection between Posttraumatic Growth (PGT) and the frequency and severity of the traumatic event (Chopko et al., 2019). To examine the connection, the authors focused on certain methods of measuring trauma severity and frequency, associations of PTG with health, and the distinctions between cognitive PTG and behavioral PTG (Chopko et al., 2019). The examination was based on the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), the Critical Incident History Questionnaire (CIHQ), and health variables, with the use of Pearson correlations (Chopko et al., 2019). Chopko et al. (2019) have found support for their hypotheses and proposed complicity of the relationship between PTG, PTSD, trauma exposure, and one’s well-being. Overall, the article focused on PGT and traumatic events, with the analysis measuring several factors that are connected to stress.
Synthesis
Furthermore, there is a need to correspond the article with additional materials that can be found in a book written by Linebach and Kovaciss. In their article, Chopko et al. (2019) claim that police officers suffer from symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after experiencing traumatic events. Indeed, Linebach and Kovaciss (2016) state that one is certain to have psychological trauma when working in law enforcement. As to the amount of stress, Linebach and Kovaciss (2016) propose that traffic officers are “more susceptible to stress” due to unforeseeable outcomes of their job (p. 38). On the other hand, Chopko et al. (2019) suggest that the most stress is experienced by any officers involved in killing someone on duty. Both the article and the book connect stress in law enforcement with traumatic events, although their perceptions of the amount vary.
The authors of the two sources emphasize the importance of frequency and severity of traumatic events. While Linebach and Kovaciss (2016) state that frequency can determine the amount of impact on a person, Chopko et al. (2019) have found that frequency is related to PTG, even though slightly less than severity. According to Chopko et al. (2019), PTG is strongly related to idiographic severity, which accounts for one’s personal view of the traumatic event. Moreover, the severity of the traumatic event in law enforcement can be illustrated by one’s experiences of PTSD (Linebach & Kovaciss, 2016). Furthermore, while in their measurements, Chopko et al. (2019) assess incidents experienced by officers, like “kill or injure in the line of duty,” Linebach and Kovaciss (2016) state that such events indicate the initial stages of PTSD (p. 1251). Those initial stages can serve as a signal for a department manager to act to help an officer overcome the disorder (Linebach & Kovaciss, 2016). The frequency and severity of traumatic events are related to the mental health of law enforcement, with the latter being helpful in defeating PTSD.
In addition, there is a need for a further discussion of PTSD, as the above authors emphasize the significance of the disorder among police officers. Linebach and Kovaciss (2016) present a brief history of PTSD, which was referred to as “soldiers’ heart” and used to be examined with regard to the consequences of the Civil War and the Vietnam War (p. 41). The authors state that officers with PTSD often face situations that exacerbate the disorder, such as stressors related to police work and issues within one’s family (Linebach & Kovaciss, 2016). Chopko et al. (2019) suggest that PTSD can initiate deliberate contemplation of the traumatic event and, possibly, affect one’s worldview and PTG. While the book provides information on the background of PTSD, the article suggests a need for further research.
Evaluation
Furthermore, there is a need to evaluate the article and its main points. As mentioned even by its authors, one of the limitations of the article is insufficient research of the experiences of traumatic events among female and minority police officers (Chopko et al., 2019). However, Linebach and Kovaciss (2016) claim that there is not much difference between work-related stress experienced by female and male officers, with ethnicity not being a predictor. Furthermore, although the article’s authors collected data from officers in small and midsize departments, they did not mention any differences in the results (Chopko et al., 2019). Despite that, the book’s authors mention that officers from larger police agencies experience more stress, even though the level of stress is similar to smaller agencies (Linebach & Kovaciss, 2016). While the article lacks in terms of diversity of the research, the book shows that there are not sufficient differences of incidents of traumatic events among various law enforcement.
Moreover, the above synthesis of the article and the corresponding material in the book support the premise and the main points of the article. Both the book and the article suggest the importance of severity and frequency of traumatic events, although the latter focuses more on their relation to PTG (Chopko et al., 2019; Linebach & Kovaciss, 2016). As Chopko et al. (2019) concentrate on each participant’s health, Linebach and Kovaciss (2016) emphasize the importance of the person who experienced the traumatic event. Moreover, the book lists features of the person such as family psychopathology, cognitive, and coping skills (Linebach & Kovaciss, 2016). With that being said, the article uses variables such as one’s relationship, work stress, and alcohol use as a primal behavioral coping method (Chopko et al., 2019). Overall, the book supports the article’s focus on severity and frequency and its use of variables for measurements.
Conclusion
To summarize, the analysis of the article supported by the book shows that experiences of traumatic events in law enforcement affect police officers’ mental health. The two sources emphasize the significance of frequency and severity of the traumatic event, as well as the personality, which can be assessed through one’s work, relationships, and coping methods. The evaluation of the article indicates that its main points correspond with the book, even though some information is insufficient, which is mentioned by the authors. The article does not require significant changes, but the overall synthesis shows that law enforcement management should pay more attention to the well-being of police officers.
References
Chopko, B. A., Palmieri, P. A., & Adams, R. E. (2019). Posttraumatic growth in relation to the frequency and severity of traumatic experiences among police officers in small to midsize departments. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 34(6), 1247-1260. Web.
Linebach, J. A. & Kovaciss, L. M. (2016). Psychology in the justice system. Author.