Effects of child abuse on victims in the UK

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Acknowledgement

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

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Abstract

This study employed a qualitative research design. In-depth interviews were conducted with a diverse sample of 25 police officers in UK working in child abuse units across three British states. Inductive thematic analysis revealed that heavy caseload and collaboration with other professional groups are two key sources of negative work stress frequently associated with child abuse investigation. Further, despite the provision of organisational strategies aimed at reducing work stress, the officers tended to rely predominantly on informal coping mechanisms.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION6

Purpose of the Study6

Background of the Study6

Significance of the Study8

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW10

Theoretical Background10

Review of the Literature10

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY22

Participants22

Procedure23

REFERENCES25

Chapter 1: Introduction

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the current study was two-fold: to explore police officers in UK' perceptions of the daily challenges involved in child abuse investigation and how those challenges affect their ability to undertake child abuse investigations, and to explore how these challenges are managed on a daily basis.

Background of the Study

Policing can be a stressful occupation. While there is some debate about whether police work is more or less stressful than other occupations (Hart et al., 1993, 21), it is well established that police officers in UK are exposed to daily stressors (Brown et al., 1999, 45). Work stress can obviously affect the psychological wellbeing of professionals in both positive and negative ways (Hart et al., 1995, 66). For instance, some types of stress can facilitate performance, enhancing a professional's level of motivation and job satisfaction (Greller et al., 1992, 96). However, other types of stress can have adverse consequences not only for the health of the employee but also for the entire organisation (Lambert et al., 2003, 201). The impact of negative stress is particularly pronounced in those professions such as policing, where the skills, ability and knowledge of the employees are essential to the quality of service offered (Balfour and Neff, 1993, 116).

One area of police work that exposes employees to negative stress is child abuse investigation (Violanti and Gehrke, 2004, 47). This is indicated in both case law as well as the clinical literature on vicarious trauma[1]. In recent years, several common-law psychiatric injury claims have been made against police organisations for failing to “take reasonable precautions” to reduce psychiatric injuries among employees who are exposed to crimes against children. One successful case involved a female British police officer who was awarded $750,000 in compensation for mental injury - she was diagnosed as suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (New South Wales ...