The Nature of Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress of a Police First Responder: A Case Study

Abstract

Over time, the challenging nature of police work may threaten the well-being of police first responders. This study described the nature of police burnout and secondary traumatic stress brought by exposure and helping victims of violence. The participant is a female 40-year-old police first responder who handles cases of violence against women and children. The study used psychological inventories, observations, and interviews to gather essential data. Further, this research used the Professional Quality of Life Theory to evaluate and analyze the case studied. The results showed that burnout and secondary traumatic stress were the mental health concerns of the participant. In addition, the participant described that burnout happens when there is high job demand, unbalanced case workload, and the absence of support and supervision. At the same time, secondary traumatic stress exists due to exposure to people who experienced traumatic, stressful events. Moreover, the participant expressed the need to have a mental health program at the workplace. The study's overall findings highlighted principles and guidelines for a mental health program framework catered to police first responders working with victims of violence. This mental health program must include regular assessment of the overall psychosocial functioning of police first responders, undergo regular debriefing, improve competencies in handling violence against women and children cases, have a flexible work schedule and a balanced caseload. Lastly, conducting a further study on the variables examined with a bigger sample size through quantitative research is highly recommended.

Keywords: burnout, secondary traumatic stress, police first responders, mental health program framework