A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Counselling Psychology) in the Department of Psychology, University of Zululand, South Africa, 2004. / The present study examined Public Order Police Officers' perceptions of traumatic symptomatology. The study consists of three aims. The first aim was to ascertain the type of traumatic symptomatology members of the Public Order Police experience. The second aim was to determine whether rank has an influence on perceptions of traumatic symptomatology. The third aim was to establish if a relationship existed between experiences of traumatic symptomatology and the respondent characteristics of gender, age or work experience.
The study revealed that half of the sample experienced stress as a type of symptomatology. It was also found that: 43% experienced depression; 29% experienced psychosomatic complaints; 28% experienced family and marital problems; 26% experienced alcohol or drug abuse; 25% experienced aggressive behaviour; and 22% of the Public Order Police experienced suicide as a type of traumatic symptomatology. This study also found that no relationship existed between: police rank, gender, length of service and traumatic symptomatology. The only relationship that existed in this study was between age and Public Order Police Officers' perceptions of traumatic symptomatology.
The general consensus in literature is that the expression of personal feelings is severely limited within the police culture (Joyce, 1989; Kroes, 1985; Pogrebin & Poole, 1991; Burgers, 1994). The police culture may influence the manner in which police officers respond to traumatic events, family members, the community and psychological treatment To add to the problem, many officers fear asking for help. The creed of the male-dominated police profession reflects a predominantly macho attitude; police officers perceive themselves as problem solvers, not people with problems (Reiser, 1974). It can be argued in this study that untreated trauma can be manifested through subtle traumatic symptoms if psychological treatment is not sought. The findings of this study highlight the need for these members to be counselled to benefit themselves, family and the community.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uzulu/oai:uzspace.unizulu.ac.za:10530/989 |
| Date | January 2004 |
| Creators | Naicker, Michelle |
| Contributors | Sibaya, P.T |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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