Thesis (MCom.( Dept. of Industrial Psychology, Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences)) --University of the Western Cape, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-187).

D.Ed. / The research nature of this study was primarily explorative, and also descriptive. The objective of this study was to explore and describe community experiences of aggressive behaviour exhibited by police officials towards them. This research was of a qualitative nature. Four steps of psycho-educational programme development were followed. In the first step a situational analysis was carried out. The sampling component was purposively selected police officials working under the jurisdiction of specific police stations in Gauteng Province and community members as victims of aggression at the hands of police officials. Data gathering methods used in this research were phenomenological individual and focus group interviews and observations. The researcher conducted the observation for this study during interviews and field notes were written during interview process. The researcher conducted interviews with victims of aggressive behaviour by police officials and other participants were police officials and stakeholders who are dealing with inappropriate behaviour of police officials. The participants had to comment on their experiences of aggression exhibited by police officials and other participants who are police officials in the South African Police Service talk about their experiences when they were involved in aggressive action towards the community. These interviews formed the basis of this study to facilitate the attainment of the primary objective, which was to explore and describe the experience of aggression behaviour exhibited by Police officials towards the community. The data from these interviews were analysed using an open coding method. An independent coder did an analysis independent from the researcher. A consensus validation discussion was held with the independent coder on the codification of the data. The detailed discussion of results obtained from the interviews and observations were presented in verbatim quotes, descriptive and reflective notes and the illustration of emergent themes and categories. Rigour and adequacy were ensured by data collected and the results obtained from data analysis indicated convergence and saturation. The integration of trustworthiness, that is, credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability were applied throughout the study. Ethical considerations and consent letters were presented to the participants, including preserving of anonymity, confidentiality, voluntary participation, understood consent and the ethical role of the researcher has adhered to. The research is very important as the experiences of aggression by community members were explored and described. The research results indicated that there is tension among the community and police officials in the South African Police Service. The Police officials under study are demoralised and tend to become negative towards the public because they are of the opinion that enough is not done to support them in performing their difficult duties. It is evident from the results that there is lack of effective communication stakeholders who are dealing with inappropriate behaviour in the South African Police Service with other structures like the Independent Complaints Directorate. In step two the psycho-educational programme was developed. Firstly a conceptual framework was derived from the result of step one. The conceptual framework served as framework of reference for the description of a psycho-educational programme. In step three the programme was implemented and in step four the programme was evaluated. In conclusion, it is evident that aggression really exists in the workplace and officials are affected by such aggression. The recommendations of dealing with aggressive behaviour exhibited by police officials towards the community was done in line with the situational analysis after the conclusion drawn from the findings and were described in a psycho-educational perspective.

M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / The high incidence of suicide and medical boardings for psychological reasons in the South African Police Service necessitated an investigation into whether officers who seek medical help have been exposed to more traumatic violence than those who do not seek assistance. A Group of policemen who had sought psychiatric help was compared with a control group of officers who had not sought assistance in terms of the nature and seriousness of posttraumatic stress disorder. depression. anxiety and other stress factors. The experimental group revealed significantly higher levels of posttraumatic stress disorder. depression and anxiety than the control group. This was related to more exposure to situations of personal threat and a predisposition to trait anxiety. Other negative life experiences did not have a meaningful impact. Of importance is the fact that the control group that did not seek assistance. in comparison with the general population. nonetheless displayed significant levels of posttraumatic stress disorder. This group however responded more stable family relationships and social support than the officers seeking psychiatric help. These variables may play a moderating role in the prevention of psychiatric symptomatology in members of the South African Police Service who are exposed to traumatic stress.

M.A. / Stress related problems within the South African Police service have escalated in recent years. Symptoms that can be identified are the high number of suicides, alcohol abuse, family violence, aggression, depression, emotional blunting, lack of motivation and decreased interest in the outside world. The amount of diverse tasks that are expected of a police officer are multiple. Some of them are confronted with life threatening situations on a daily basis and are often exposed to death and its gruesome aspects. This study maintains that there appears to be a gap between the police officer in need and the psychological unit which is supposed to look after his mental well being. It seems as if the support rendered is predetermined by those in the helping professions and police management, without taking the unique needs and expectations of police officers into account. This study then focuses on such experiences in an attempt to bridge this gap. The study makes use of the narrative research method within the framework of social constructionism. This research attempts to co-constuct the meaning attached to the working experiences of members of a flying squad unit. This unit was specifically selected on the basis of members' broad exposure to life threatening and traumatic situations. Informal interviews were conducted with six members of the flying squad and their narratives may be found in the following pages. Themes identified from their interviews include: feelings of isolation, work circumstances, perceived lack of support, relationships, views of life and encounters with death. The researcher hopes that these stories will be heard.

M.A. (Psychology) / The present study was undertaken in an attempt to understand and ascertain the nature of PTSD in the South African Police leading to chronic illness and work-related dysfunctions as well as to investigate the possibility of triggering events leading to the loss of latency in PTSD. The specific hypothesis for this study was that a significant proportion of members of the SAP who report for medical treatment of stress-related physical or psychological complaints, will show PTSD in conjunction with a triggering stimulus event prior to the manifestations of the first clinical signs of PTSD. The testing of the hypothesis, entailed utilizing an experimental group. consisting of a number of police officers, who had been referred for psychological and/or medical treatment for work-related disorders. None of these subjects had previously been diagnosed with PTSD. A control group was used that consisted of police officers who had not seen active duty in an area where a traumatic stress disorder event could take place. These subjects were subjected to assessment of PTSD by means of the Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD, and concomitant stress-related events by means of the Life Experiences Survey. Alienation was assessed by the means of the VSVA. Indices of psychophysiological reactivity were obtained by means of galvanic skin response deviation and heart rate deviation to specific stimuli, including neutral stimuli, war-related stimuli and stimuli with political content.

M.Cur. / Die idee waarmee hierdie studie 'n aanvang geneem het, het ontstaan vanuit my waarneming dat al hoe meer polisiebeamptes opgeneem word in die psigiatriese kliniek waar ek, die navorser werksaam is. Hierdie polisiebeamptes vertel 'n storie van blootstelling aan talle traumatiese situasies in die beoefening van hul beroep, waar geweld, misdaad, lewensgevaar en die dood vir hulle bekende verskynsels is. Maar dit lei dikwels tot depressie, alkoholmisbruik en aggressie by die polisiebeamptes. Hierdie probleme word, volgens polisiebeampes, dikwels vererger deur 'n autokratiese bestuurstelsel in die SAPD, swak salarisse, 'n lae status in die gemeenskap en ontoereikende fasiliteite. Die winde van politieke verandering wat sedert 2 Februarie 1990 deur Suid-Afrika waai, verg van polisiebeamptes om sekere fundamentele aanpassings te maak en 'n nuwe benadering tot polisiering te volg. Hierdie aanpassings word dikwels as moeilik ervaar. Die gesinne van polisiebeamptes word dikwels direk geaffekteer deur al die genoemde faktore, in die sin dat, die polisiebeampte se manier van "dink en wees" as polisiebeampte, sy interaksie met sy gesin beInvloed. Ek het dus gewonder hoe die gesinne van polisiebeamptes dit beleef wanneer 'n lid van die gesin werksaam is as 'n polisiebeampte in 'n hoe-risiko metropolitaanse area in Gauteng. Geen studie is voorheen hieroor uitgevoer nie. Om hierdie vraag te beantwoord, het ek van 'n verkennende, beskrywende, kontekstuele en kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp gebruik gemaak in die uitvoering van hierdie studie. Semigestruktueerde, fenomenologiese onderhoude is gevoer met agt vroue van polisiebeamptes, werksaam by 'n geIdentifiseerde polisiestasie in Gauteng. Die vroue is volgens die sneeubalmetode geselekteer. Dit is gedoen nadat die nodige ingeligte toestemming van hulle verkry is. Stappe is deurgaans deur die studie geneem om vertrouenswaardigheid te verseker, volgens Guba se model. Daar is ook verseker dat hierdie studie op 'n etiese wyse uitgevoer is, deurdat ek myself laat lei het deur die Suid-Afrikaanse Verpleegstersvereniging se standaarde vir verpleegkundige navorsers. Die meta-teoretiese aannames wat hierdie studie rig, is verkry uit die Verplegingsteorie vir Mensheelheid, waarvolgens die mens 'n geestelike wese is wat op 'n gentegreerde, biopsigososiale wyse binne die gesin en gemeenskap funksioneer. Data is ontleed volgens die metodes van Tesch en die dienste van 'n onafhanklike kodeerder is verkry. Sodoende is ooreenstemming bereik oor die kategoriee en subkategoried van temas wat die storie van die vroue so akkuraat as moontlik sou kon beskryf. Die resultate het daarop gedui dat gebroke interaksie dikwels in die gesinne van polisiebeamptes vookom. Hierdie interaksie word gekenmerk deur oppervlakkige, konkrete kommunikasie, aggressie en fisiese, sowel as emosionele afwesigheid van die polisiebeampte in die gesin. Die vrou neem dikwels sekere rolle in die verhouding aan en ervaar emosies van pyn, alleenheid, woede, verwerping, vrees en onsekerheid. Riglyne is beskryf wat moontlik kan lei tot die ondersteuning van die gesinne van polisiebeamptes, deur die psigiatriese verpleegspesialis. Voorstelle vir die aanwending van die resultate in die verpleegonderwys, -praktyk en —navorsing is gemaak. Daar word tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat die verkenning en beskrywing van die beleweniswereld van die gesinne van polisiebeamptes, die psigiatriese verpleegspesialis instaat kan stel om die gesinne te ondersteun in die mobilisering van hulpbronne en die gesin te fasiliteer in die bevordering, handhawing en herstel van gesinsgeestesgesondheid as 'n integrale deel van gesondheid.

M.A. / Little is known about how police officers who are exposed to daily traumatic stressors in their working environment cope with these experiences, or how the coping strategies that they utilize mediate the levels of psychological distress and possible development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Focusing on 109 Brixton Flying Squad members of the South African Police Service, this exploratory study assessed the coping strategies and levels of psychological distress reported by these officers following traumatic exposure. The study examined the relative frequency of using eight ways of coping (as assessed by the Ways of Coping Checklist-Revised) with traumatic policing experiences and the association between the use of those coping strategies and subsequent development of symptomatologies and PTSD. Consistent with previous studies with combat veterans, police officers predominantly used emotion-focused coping strategies to cope with traumatic stressors. Nearly a third of the police officers met psychometric criteria for a positive screening diagnosis for PTSD. Results indicated that PTSD positive subjects tended to use relatively more escape –avoidance in coping with trauma, as opposed to PTSD negative subjects. Significantly higher levels of psychological distress, especially depression were also found for PTSD positive subjects, and the use of emotion-focused strategies was positively related to greater PTSD symptom severity and elevated levels of psychological distress. Findings demonstrated the mediating role of coping strategies that have the potential to become either adaptive or maladaptive to occupational and psychological functioning. These preliminary findings are discussed in-relation to methodologic and clinical issues.

Summaries in English, Afrikaans, Tsonga and Zulu / This study was driven by an observation by the Chaplain’s office in the Soweto East Cluster and its satellites for the need of a practical theological coaching intervention between the SAPS management and officers on the ground. The coaching intervention mentioned above would be focused largely on the challenge of the mental anxiety caused by the nature of work carried out by the SAPS in relation to its intentions to make the nation a more safe and secure environment for the citizens of South Africa. Naturally, the men and women who staff the SAPS are as human as the rest of us and therefore their state of mental health must not be separated from the rest of the nation. While the intervention is seen as necessary, it is not a replacement of other highly specialised interventions within the SAPS; it must be considered as complementary in the context of a socio- scientifically informed Practical Theology. The Zenith of Its contribution is therefore an attempt to harness the spirituality of officers in concurrence with the psychological and emotional aspects of their work. The study proceeds from the assumption, ‘no work unit is an island,’ thus, it argues for a dynamic synthesis of a practical-theological and psychological interaction of resources in the context of a systems thinking framework. While there are no rigid patterns in the dynamic work of the SAPS, an informed coaching mechanism will provide an informed theoretical synthesis for a robust on-the-ground decision-making process when urgently called upon. This study contends that, this is a paradigm shift from the traditional patterns of top-down management that so often lead to crises situations. The Chaplain’s office is seen as a strategic partner in this initiative given its non-threatening placement within the SAPS systems of work in relation to highly specialised services. / Hierdie studie was gedryf deur n waarneming by die kapelaan se kantoor in die Soweto Oos area en die satelliet kantore vir 'n behoefte van n praktiese teologiese afrigters intervensie tussen die SAPS bestuur en offisiere op grond vlak. Die afrigters ingryping bo genome, sal grotendeels fokus op die uitdaging van geestelike angstigheid veroorsaak deur die omvang van die werk wat gedoen word deur SAPD in verwantskap met die bedoeling om vir die nasie n veilige en beskermde omgewing te skep vir all inwoners van Suid Afrika. Die mans en dames is natuurlik net menslik soos die res van ons en daarom kan hulle geestelike gesondheid nie geskei word van die res van die nasie nie. Terwyl die ingryping noodsaaklik is is dit nie 'n vervanging van ander hoogs gespesialiseerde intervensies in die SAPD nie. Dit moet beskou word as 'n bydraende faktor in die konteks van wetenskaplike praktiese teologie. Die impak van die bydra is dus 'n poging om die geestelike welstand van offisiere te beheer in samewerking met die psigologiese en emosionele aspekte van hulle werk. Die studie beweeg van uit die aanname dat geen werk 'n eiland is nie. Dit argumenteer dat dinamiese samewerking van praktiese en psigologiese interaksie van bronne in die konteks van 'n system denke raamwerk. Terwyl daar geen vasgelêde patrone is in die dinamiese werk van die SAPD nie, sal 'n ingeligte afrigters meganisme help om n ingeligte teoretiese sintese vir 'n ernstige grond vlak besluitnemings proses te hê wanneer dit gevra word. Hierdie studie gaan van die veronderstellings dat n paridigma skuif geneem word van die tradisionele patrone van bestuur van bo na onder wat meestal lei tot krieses bestuur. Die kapelaan se kantoor word gesien as a strategiese vennoot in hierdie initiatief siende dat dit nie intimiderend geplaas is binne die SAPS systeem van werk in verhouding met hoogs gespesialiseerde dienste. / Lolu cwaningo lwasungulwa emveni kokuthi ihovisi likaChaplain elikwisifunda sase Mpumalanga ne Soweto laqaphela ukuthi abasebenzi abangamaphoyisa badinga usizo ngokwesimo somqondo-nkolo kuwo wonke amazinga okusebenza. Lokhu kususwa yimiqondo-simo ababa kuyona njalo uma bebhekana nezinselelo zomsebenzi wabo ezibhekene nokuphephisa isizwe. Lolu sizo abaludingayo kumele lubhekane nokuthi nabo bangabantu njengabo bonke abantu. Loluhlelo alubukeli phansi ezinye izinhlelo ezikhona embuthweni wamaphoyisa kodwa luzama ukuncedisana nazo zonke ezinye izinhlelo ezihlose ukulekelela isimo mqondo sabasebenzi bokuvikela umphakathi. Lengxenye yohlelo ibheke kakhulu ekulungiseni isimo somqondo ngakwezomoya. Loluhlelo lukulungele ukubheka wonke amacala esimo mqondo ngokwesimo sempilo, isimo sokholo kanye nayo yonke eminye imixhantela ebukeka inomthelela ekulungiseni noma ekukhuliseni impilo-mqondo yamaphoyisa. Lobu budlelwano bubukeka buhlukile kunalobu obujwayelekile ngoba buvula amathuba okuthi amaphoyisa abe yingxenye yohlelo olungawasiza abe engaphoqelekile ukuba yingxenye yalolohlelo. Ngokuthi ihovisi likaChaplain alikhethi macala yingakho lobuhlobo bubukeka sengathi bungaba nemiphumela emihle kunezinye ezike zabakhona ngaphambilini. / Dyondzo leyi yi hlohloteriwe hi leswi nga lemukiwa hi hofisi ya Mufundhisi-Wa-Maphorisa eka muganga wa Soweto-Vuxa ni swiyenge leswi va tirhisanaka na swona, va vona ku pfumaleka ka nghenelo-mpfuneto wa vudzaberi lebyi nga ni dyondzo yo khomeka ya ntivo-vukwembu exikarhi ka vufambisi bya vukorhokeri bya xiphorisa bya Afrika-Dzonga ni maphorisa entirhweni. Vudzaberi lebyi hlayiweke laha henhla a byi ta va byo xiyisisa hi vuenti ntlhontlho wa ku karhateka ka miehleketo loku vangiwaka hi muxaka wa ntirho wa xiphorisa mayelana ni ku tiyimisela ka xona ku pfuneta ku vumba rixaka leri hlayisekeke, leri nga ni ntshamiseko. Hambi leswi vudzaberi lebyi byi nga bya nkoka, a byi fanelanga ku bakanyela e tlhelo ni ku teka ndhawu ya mimpfuneto yin'wana leyo hlawuleka leyi se yi nga ku tirheni exiphoriseni, kambe byi fanele ku voniwa tanihi ndlela yo seketela hi ku languta hi ku katsakanya dyondzo yo khomeka ya Ntivo-vukwembu leyi nga ni risima hi ku languta ntshamo wa vutomi lowu tiyisisiweke hi vumbhoni bya xisayense. Xikongomelo-nkulu xa mpfuneto lowu i ku ringeta ku tiyisa vutomi bya ximoya bya maphorisa hi ku tirhisana ni miehleketo na ku titwa ka vona entirhweni. Dyondzo leyi yi pfelela eka ku teka tanihi ntiyiso ntshaho lowu nge 'ku hava xiphemu xa ntirho lexo kotisa xihlala ku tiyimela xoxe', hi ndlela leyi, ntshaho lowu wu koxa leswaku ku va ni ku katsakanya swiyenge swo hambana hambana. Hambi leswi ku nga ri ki ni mikhuva yo nonohela ncinco exiphoriseni, ndlela ya vudzaberi lebyi fambisanaka ni vutivi yi ta tisa matirhelo ya vutlhari yo pfuneta ku teka swiboho leswi vupfeke loko ku va ni xilaveko xa sweswo. Dyondzo leyi yi ri xikolo-kolo leswi i ku cinca lokukulu ni ku dzuvula ku huma eka mikhuva ya xikhale ya muxaka wa vufambisi byo kombetela hi tintiho, swi nga swona leswi vangaka swiyimo swa mintlimbo ni nkelunkelu. Hofisi ya Mufundhisi-Wa-Maphorisa yi voniwa tanihi mukondleteri wa nkoka eka xipimanyeto lexi hi ku ya hi ndzima leyi boxiwaka hi hofisi leyi hi ku pfumala nxungeto eka matirhelo ya xiphorisa ya vukorhokeri byo hlawuleka ni bya risima. / Practical Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)

A study was conducted to describe and interpret the personal strategies that South African Police Service officers in the Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, use in their line of work. These are strategies to deal with the impact of the primary victims’ critical incidents of rape, domestic violence, murder and road accidents. The focus was on describing the impact of the critical incidents that the officers are exposed to, which manifest in a form of traumatic stress, namely, vicarious traumatisation, and management of this impact. Twenty participants were selected through purposive and theoretical sampling techniques from the family violence, child protection and sexual offences, domestic violence, field training, detective and social crime prevention units. Unstructured open-ended interviews, diaries and follow-up telephone interviews were used as data collection methods and data were collected in the participants’ home languages, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. Data gathered necessitated looking into both the aspects of the officers’ organisational and operational work. Data were thus analysed through the content thematic and constant comparative data analysis methods. The results first presented a profile of police vicarious traumatisation in the Vhembe District, which include the types of critical incidents exposed to, the organisational and operational stressors that lead to vicarious traumatisation, and the description of vicarious traumatisation symptoms. Second, a theoretical framework of the process of police critical incidents impact management (PCIIM) was developed. The framework shows that the management of the impact of the encountered incidents is inspired by various coping needs and subcultures of the officers, and the management takes place through the use of two styles of trauma management, namely, the linear and multilateral styles, which refer to application of coping strategies successively and the combination of horizontal and vertical application of coping strategies, respectively. The coping strategies used by the officers help them to have an objective understanding of the critical incidents encountered, have less severe symptoms of vicarious traumatisation, some symptoms last for shorter periods than before, and other symptoms are no longer experienced. Resilience to the encountered incidents is shown through the development of coping strategies to handle the incidents, facing them, and showing cognitive hardiness. The officers also manage to reflect on the experiences encountered, engage in narratives about them and mutual help thus still working towards attaining posttraumatic growth. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Homicide-Suicide (H-S) is a rare but violent event in which an individual commits homicide and thereafter commits suicide. The H-S phenomenon appears to be increasing among members of the South African Police Service (SAPS). Although research on H-S is sparse, several SA studies have implicated the SAPS as a high risk occupational group for such killings. However, no systematic research that focuses on police H-S has ever been conducted within the RSA. The aim of this thesis is to determine the underlying causes of police H-S killings. The current national study included thirty-eight (38) police H-S cases over a two-year period (2012-2013). The macro, meso, and micro levels of analysis were utilised to study this phenomenon and to test both the socio-cultural and intrapsychic explanations of H-S. A mixed method approach was utilised, which involved both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Information on H-S was collected via document analysis and interviews with survivors of an H-S attack. The data obtained from the documents were coded on the SAPS “Homicide-Suicide Incidence Coding Form” and the results of this analysis were presented graphically in both tables and charts. Three interviews were conducted with the survivors of these attacks and were qualitatively analysed. The SAPS displayed an H-S incidence rate of 24.27 per 100 000 police officers. A typical police H-S perpetrator is likely to be a black African male who is 35 years old with a Grade 12 education. He would hold the rank of a constable and would have a history of domestic abuse. His victim would usually be an intimate partner of the same race who would be younger than him. She would be employed as an administrative clerk and would be shotand killed multiple times by her amorous jealous boyfriend due to a heated argument or quarrel. The service pistol would be used to commit both H-S killings. Four main themes emerged from the transcripts, namely: Patriarchal dynamics in H-S relationships, Financial issues and the patriarchal order, The death wish (“Thanatos”) of the perpetrator and the H-S survivors as double victims. On the macro level, partial support was found for social integration theory, while the meso and micro levels of analysis supported the psychodynamic perspective. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)