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Abstract
Mental health stability and additional conditions contribute to the aftermath of traumatic
events is very much so present in our law enforcement officers. There are so many stressors
faced daily from our law enforcement officers that it is almost expected as part of the job
undermining the extent of potential decline in their mental health and even basic functionality.
It’s as if the law enforcement community is held to a higher standard in regards to processing
traumatic events when really there is nothing to support this stereotype, which could put more
social pressure on the officers and the support they could possibly need but won’t reach out to a
mental health professional in fear of losing support or even their job. The study conducted by
Alan M. Daniel and Kelly S. Treece examined variables associated as to why or why not law
enforcement officers would or would not seek mental health services and the reasoning behind
the pathways they chose.
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Critical Incidents Assignment
Identification of the Premise and Supporting Points of the Article
The logic behind this study was to begin putting pieces of a puzzle together in order to
create a starting point on identifying factors contributing to a law enforcement officers’ choice to
seek out mental health or attempt to selfheal and/or masking any post-traumatic or secondary
traumatic stress they are experiencing from their jobs. The results indicated “that while a number
of factors are associated with intentions to seek future services, the primary factor in past mental
health seeking behavior was secondary traumatic stress” (Daniel and Treece, 2022). Secondary
traumatic stress is an effect that is the results of knowledge about a traumatizing event that
occurred from someone they know, a case they were called to, criminal scene, or really any other
traumatic event that necessarily didn’t happen directly to them but they were indirectly involved
in.
Personal Experience and Synthesis of the Article and the Corresponding Material
I can personally relate to this due to my earlier experiences in the military during a time
of war. I have experienced direct traumatic events but also witnessed such an array of suffering it
is nearly impossible to forget or not allow it to have a permanent imprint on my mind. Any
military branch has their version of basic training, which is the fundamentals of that military
branch, the minimum skills needed to earn the title of Soldier, Airmen, Marine, or Sailor, but
also creating stressors to better prepare them for future training, resiliency and ultimately the
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hardships of war. Law enforcement officer training and job preparation is no different. “Cox and
Mackey (1976) proposed a transactional model of stress in which the amount of stress
experienced varies as a result of the individual’s perception of the demand the stressor places on
them, and the extent to which they believe they can cope with that demand” (Harmening and
Gamez, 2016). Their model also identified that an individual can reach their optimal
performance as long as their stress level is in between boredom and exhaustion. This model is
similar to the study in this article because the law enforcement officers had to reach a high level
of traumatic stress in order to seek out mental health services.
Critical Evaluation of the Premise(s) and Supporting points of the Article
Mental health stigma and angst towards work or family discrimination often contributes
to an individuals transparency when speaking with a mental health professional. The uncertainty
of a possible diagnosis or mental disorder can sometimes discourage or even prevent someone
from seeking mental health. This study conducted by Alan M. Daniel and Kelly S. Treece had a
sample size of only 86 law enforcement officers, which is so low its hard to even make a
determination on the validity of the outcome. They were also reliant on the law enforcement
officers to self report which in itself can be unreliable. I do know that in the event of war and in
this case traumas of law enforcement, no one person can be completely prepared for some of the
horrors witnessed. I do, however, believe that training and more exposure to extreme
circumstances can better develop and prepare our communities forces to counteract the poor
mental health associated with traumatic events.
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References
Daniel, A. M., & Treece, K. S. (2021). Law enforcement pathways to mental
health: Secondary traumatic stress, social support, and social
pressure. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 37(1), 132–140.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-021-09476-5
Harmening, W. M., & Gamez, A. M. (2016). Forensic psychology. Pearson.
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