Degree Name
PhD (Doctor of Philosophy)
Program
Psychology
Date of Award
12-2016
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Matthew T. McBee
Committee Members
Stacey L. Williams, Jill Stinson, Larry Miller, Andrea Clements
Abstract
The profession of law enforcement is an inherently stressful job. Although the physical stress of the job is often discussed, the mental health impact on officers is often ignored, resulting in poor mental health and increased risk for suicide. The purpose of the current study was to investigate factors related to the reluctance of law enforcement officers (LEOs) to seeking treatment, as well as to gain an understanding of the prevalence rates of disorders in a law enforcement population. Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants (N = 306) across a variety of agencies. Correlation, moderated regression analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was used in order to model barriers to care among officers. Findings suggest that the presence of psychological disorders was not predictive of willingness to seek treatment. However, perceived stigma did predict lower willingness to seek treatment. General conclusions suggest that increasing unit cohesion and unit support may make a positive impact in decreasing stigma and increasing officers’ willingness to seek treatment.
Document Type
Dissertation - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Samantha F., "Investigating Barriers to Mental Health Care in Law Enforcement Officers" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3154. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3154
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.