Critique of Quantitative Study about Police Work - Essay Example

Critique of Quantitative Study Critique of Quantitative Study Research Problem Police work has long been considered a high stress occupation that affects different people in various ways. It is important, however, to recognize signs of such stress and to handle it appropriately in order to be effective on the job. In order to address this problem, the author of this study developed two clearly stated research questions. The first entailed asking the following: What are the long term effects of police work on stress? The second probed the deeper question of: Does stress remain constant, increase, or decrease over the span of a police career. Both of these questions relate directly to the problem of how stress impacts the performance of police officers and impact their ability to effectively handle their duties. The purpose of this study is to provide evidence of stress in police work, enabling stakeholders to recognize the major indicators of stress and how it can impact police work in the long term. It is noted that police work has long been considered to be one of the most stressful occupations, and that police officers exhibit higher than normal rates stress related illnesses. Risk factors include heart disease, diabetes, and suicide and police officers are rated at the 10th most susceptible to these health issues out of 149 professions. The purpose of this study, then, is to highlight these issues and determine that long term patterns of stress that are evident in police work. This study is justified because, as the author effectively points out, society in general depends on police officers to protect and defend local communities and interests. It is, therefore, in the best interest to have a police that is not only physically healthy, but emotionally stable as well. The stress of the job can have a potentially negative and devastating impact on the community, so all parties involved are interested in looking for ways to minimize and effectively handle job related stress when it does begin to impact police work. This particular study begins with the formation of a strong theoretical framework by which a working definition of stress is developed and explained. This working definition then forms the foundation for the study and the methodology that is carried out through the surveys that were administered. The theoretical framework generated is established from the perspective that, “Stress is apperceived imbalance between social demands and perceived response capability; under conditions where failure to meet demands has important consequences” (Violanti, 1983, p. 211). This definition is important to establish from the outset because it forms the basis for the inferences about stress related inference that police work entails and how that affects the long term ability of individuals within the profession to effectively carry out their job. This particular definition is important in that it places an emphasis on perception, which is a critical point to establish as participants are asked to giver their own insight related to stress patterns inherent in police work. Measurement Studies such as the one presented here should contain measurements that end up providing a certain amount of credibility and reliability to the conclusions that are eventually published. This particular report has demonstrated the requisite validity and reliability of results that were formulated based upon the results gathered from a qualified collection of police officers with years of the experience on the force that enabled them to offer something of a substantive nature to a study examining the long term stress related factors of police work. It is important that quantitative studies be created and such a way that lends credibility to the findings that are eventually published. There are certain factors to consider when analysing the validity of a quantitative study, particularly as they relate to the ability of the findings to reflect broader implications for all of society. In this case, the sample size, independent and dependent variables, and the number of different organisations surveyed reflect this reality. With any study involving human participants, there is always the possibility or researcher bias, a misinterpretation of interview responses, participants who simply drop out of the study before completing the survey, and those that do not take the process seriously, thereby not answering truthfully to the items on the questionnaire. These factors were minimised within this particular study as the researcher used a tested research instrument that was reasonably considered to be both reliable and valid. The questions themselves were not leading, meaning that the participants were able to give their honest feedback without feeling that the items themselves were leading them a particular direction. The author of this study also maintained the integrity of the project by continuously referring back to the main purpose and methodology of the study, as stated from the outset. The study itself was carried out in a systematic manner that was designed to confirm and validate the findings and conclusions, which eventual lead to the hypothesis being supported. In order to eliminate the possibility of bias as much as possible, particularly in terms of the wording of the questionnaires themselves, the surveys were designed to be closed-ended and did not contain items that were leading towards a particular response. At the same time, it was essential to remember that such a type of research does contain some type bias on the part of the researcher. Creswell (1994) speaks to this when he writes, “Quantitative research is interpretative research. As such, the biases, values, and judgment of the researcher become stated explicitly in the research report. Such openness is considered to be useful and positive” (p. 147). With this in mind, questions did contain bit of information that was based upon the experiences of the researcher and knowledge in the area of police work, with a particular emphasis on the stress that seems to accompany police officers on the job on a near daily basis. The survey employed for this study entailed four different stages of police officers at various stages of their career. This served as the independent variable. The dependent variable was the level of stress they experienced in one of the various key indicators as contained on the items listed in the survey instrument itself. Research Design The main components of a quantitative study provide the researcher with a detailed, focused, and thematically directed perspectives of the various ways in which various police officers deal with stress within their occupation, all by allowing them to interact with the topic that is being studied. The main idea behind this particular study was to included a detailed account, using statistical data gathered from researcher, that was designed to explore the thoughts and perceptions related to long term effects of individuals who choose police work as their occupation. To minimise bias on the part of the researcher and participants, the aim was to reduce the amount of confusion and assumptions included in the study by using an epistemologically, exploratory approach that was based solely on the descriptive detail regarding personal perspectives and interpretation. Out of a sincere desire to form reliable and valid conclusions, this study was designed and incorporated into the process. In consideration of the research questions, the researcher understood that it was important to gather perceptions of individual experiences based on results from detailed and exhaustive comments related to the factors by individual police officers working in various law enforcement organisations throughout Western New York State. Their voices were heard regarding the long term stress that they face on the job and how big of an issue they perceive this to be. In order to answer the research questions that formed the basis for the study, a focused report was prepared that discusses the descriptions of experiences related to individual attitudes related to the issue of the role that those choosing a profession in law enforcement have in maintaining control, both in their personal and professional duties, as they serve to protect the communities in which they work. This qualitative study was designed to explore the systematic structure of various police organisations in western New York State by examining the process of a functional social science model. This worked well to ensure that the complexity and design of the model could be reciprocated by incorporating the design efforts of measuring individual attitudes towards a given organisation, with a specific focus on their level of stress experienced on the job, and off, and how this reflects on the police officers perceived ability to engage properly with broader American society. This knowledge, in turn, should lead to more detailed understanding on the part of employers in terms of how they should consider the responsibility that they have to minimise stress related issues in the law enforcement profession and to contribute in a positive way to the region in which they operate. These results will serve to facilitate a detailed description of the thoughts, opinions, and behaviours that individual police officers have in relation to being able to effectively operate within American culture and tradition, while still being conductive to a working and idealistic law enforcement model. The results of this research study can be used to provide information that will enable stakeholders in the field of law enforcement to better determine how to more effectively embrace the concept of long term stress related factors within their organisation in order for employees to feel more valued and fulfilled in their work, leading to increased productivity and efficiency as they serve the community. Sampling Quantitative research studies are frequently based around the concept of purposive sampling, which implies gathering a sample size that has a specific and internment purpose. It is, in essence, a selection of cases or individuals that have directly and relevant reference to the main research objectives and theoretical questions forming the basis for the study. In this particular study, informative participants were chosen based upon meeting a set selection criteria, as determined by the researcher, that would enable the individuals responding to the survey to meet the intended goals of the research study. The recruitment of participants for this particular study was conducted exclusively within the Western portion of New York state. The sample size included 500 full time police officers from a combined total of 21 different organisations throughout the region. The region was limited, as such, primarily for the practical reason of accessibility, particular as it related to both the researcher and potential participants. This is based on the notion of convenience sampling, which is a commonly used methodology employed by researchers aiming to conduct a quantitative study of this nature. There are certainly critics of the convenience sampling method as it tends to generalise the data received, but it certainly appears to have been an acceptable model in this case. This is because the project itself was designed to consist of a relatively small sample size that was easily accessible to the researcher within the budget and scope of the study. Relating to the size of the sample itself, it was not possible to physically contact each of the individuals included within the sample size, due to the limitation of time. Within quantitative research, however, this approach is entirely acceptable. It has been determined that data saturation, which is a primary criterion for assessing the adequacy of the sample, was achieved when the completed 500 surveys were received and had been thematically examined. Quantitative data can be effective with a range of participant, as it is based on the analysis of the perceptions illustrated by the individuals involved. In this particular case, a total of 500 individuals involved within different police organisations throughout western New York state were chosen to participate and contribute to the findings of the study. Data Collection As this study was conducted in the 1980s, online data collection via surveys was not really possible. The researcher opted to mailed questionnaires with participants in 21 different police organizations throughout Western New York State. The size of these departments ranged from 3 officers to over 1,100. This was an advantage in that the study contained a wide cross section of different types of police organizations, which could then be used to draw useful inferences as to whether or not the size of the department impact the overall stress level of the police officer. A disadvantage of this method, however, is that mailed questionnaires traditionally have a lower response rate than surveys that are administered in person. In addition, the research did state that he oversampled police officers from smaller departments, likely in hopes of getting more a return rate from them. The primary objective of this quantitative, exploratory and descriptive was to ascertain the various ways that stress can impact police officers at different stages in their career and the degrees to which this stress can impact performance on the job, thereby having implications for the profession moving forward. More specifically, this study was conducted in an attempt to determine how police work related stress expressed by officers in the region of Western New York State directly corresponds to the ability of a police organisation to maintain a competitive edge and sustained service to the community. One of the goals of this project, therefore, was to discuss the different types of stress typically encountered by human beings and then related back to the impact that they have specifically on police officers. The data collected also enabled the researcher to get a picture of how stress is experienced differently by officers in varying stages of their career. In so doing, the this discussion will hopefully bring about varying viewpoints that allow professionals in law enforcement related occupations to more effectively accommodate the changing social culture of the world and level the playing field, while still promoting principles of sound stress management techniques, even if neighbouring countries refuse to do so. The data itself was collected by using a Lagner style test that contained different items. The design was such that the items on the questionnaire focused on typical psycho-physiological and withdrawal that were specific to the law enforcement profession. Each item asked respondent to respond giving the opinion about the validity of each item based on a five-point scale. The options for response ranged from strongly agree to strongly disagree, which is a standard measure for studies of this type, further contributing to the reliability and validity of the data that was collected. In addition, the data collected was divided into four main categories, depending upon the number of years that the police officer had on the force. This contributed to the dissemination of findings that would later indicate how stress levels amongst police officers tend to shift during the course of their career. The officers were placed into categories depending on their career stage of 0-5 years, 6-13 years, 14-20 years, and 20 years and over. The author did note that is there is some controversy involving this particular Langner scale, but “Recent evidence has shown it to have predictive validity as a psychological stress measure” (Violanti, 1983, p. 213). Results It has been found that stress tends to increase sharply during the first stage of one’s career, known as the alarm stage, as young officers are exposed to job experience in real time. Findings from this study indicate that there may be two primary and mitigating factors behind this truth. First, since the beginning police officer has never actually experience real police work up close and personal, they often become startled and troubled by being upon close and personal with crimes scenes, particularly those involving dead bodies, and extreme accident scenes that contain often violent encounters with human suffering. Also, young police officers have expressed that the reality of real place work begins to tax his or her own capacity to respond in a personal way to what they are witnessing on the job. This takes experience in order to come to grips with. Until that happens, the job is often quite stressful for officers residing in the alarm stage of their career. About year 6, the results of this study indicate that police officers enter what is termed the disenchantment stage, and remain their until about that 12th-14th year of service. During this stage, a sense of reality sets in, and idealistic notions that police officers often enter the profession with have long been forgotten. Many officers during this stage actually begin to feel disappointed with their role as a police officer, particularly as the reality of the pressures and demands of the job begin to fully set in. They become cynical of an apathetic public that is often no appreciative of the work that police officers do, and they begin to lose trust in the public as well as a primary means of coping with these attitudes and perceptions. Ironically, results of this study indicate that stress levels continue to increase during this stage, primarily because many police officers express that they feel a sense of personal failure at being unable to handle the high demands that come with being a law enforcement officer. They may also begin to question whether their job is of any worth, and whether or not they are truly making a difference in the community. Each of these factors can further contribute to the level of stress that they feel on the job. The results of this study also indicate that the mean of the various stress scores at the various stages of police work illustrate a curvilinear relationship between the two variables that formed the foundation for this study. The results further indicate that stress levels do appear to change through each for four police officer career stages. During the alarm stage of one’s career, for example, the mean stress scores increased over the course of the first five years from 40.35 to 53.31. This leads to the conclusion that stress tends to increase for the first five years of police work at a fairly steady and noticeable rate. In addition, stress continue to increase during the disenchantment stage as well, which is years 6-13 of police service. Again, the stress levels exhibited during this stage appear to gradually increase through about year 13. Starting in year 14 of one’s career, which is the personalisation stage, stress noticeably begins to increase in police officers. In fact, this is demonstrated by a report mean stress level of 58.12 at year 14 to 45.6 at year 20, which as the author indicates is a substantial decrease. Furthermore, starting with the introspection stage beginning at year 20 of the police officer’s career, stress continues to decrease even more. From 20 years of service through to 36 years of service, the rate feel significantly from 45.6 to 40.50. The author did not a slight increase at year 25, which indicates a possible anxiety about impending retirement. If a police officer opted to remain on the force past this point, however, stress began to decrease once again. This finding is quite important to note as the stress related factors at this stage of a police officer’s career might have little to do with the occupation, but rather a life cycle change that affects most people nearing retirement age. Implications of the Findings The first signifiant finding of this study is that police officers tend to go through four main stages during the course of an entire career life span. Because of this, stress in looked upon different in each of the four stages, as is the reality that such stress tends to affect individuals at each stage differently. The first stage is thought to be the first five years of police work, and is referred to as the alarm stage. During this time, there is a bit of shock that police officers tend to go through, and this is reflected the survey results as well. Police officers during this stage overwhelmingly express that they work they encounter on a daily basis is certainly different from the academy and, while they were taught this prior to beginning their assignments, reality seems to set in and take on another feeling entirely. At some point in the mid-career of a police officers work, individuals tend to go through a personalisation stage. This generally continues until the 20 years point, and begins to demonstrate the implications of this report. Up until this point, police officers generally encounter rising levels of stress. At first, this is related to the reality that the demands and pressures of the job cannot really be taught in the Academy. Much of police work must be actually experienced before it can truly be internalised, which is a primary reasons why law enforcement officers endure one of the highest levels of occupational stress. This has many implications to the law enforcement community as it can better equip future officers to become more prepared for the rigours and stress of the job, and possible enable veteran officers to use their years of experience to enable rookies to become less stressful through the first few years, possibly increasing their level of job satisfaction mid-career. It is at about the 14 year mark that this study reveals officers tend to begin to focus on personal goals, as opposed to merely being driven by their police work. It is at this stage that many officers begin not to worry so much about the demands of policing, and their stress levels begin to decrease. The implication here is that stress levels seem to dissipate as officers have encountered nearly every situation imaginable. This should not be taken to mean to they are gradually becoming desensitised to the violence and crime and levels of human suffering that exists in the communities that they serve, but rather that they seem to take it more in stride and view it as a necessary part of the job. If a mistake occurs on the job during this stage, for example, many police officers will view that are far less important than they did when first starting out in the law enforcement profession. This continues into the final stage, which takes place from the 20 year mark until the officer finally decides to retire. This final stage is a time for introspection and reflection, where police officer begin to reflect on their career, which typically consists of both positive and negative memories. At this stage, they begin to worry even less about the demands of the job and possible failure. Many who stay on the job far past 20 years actually view the job as easy for the first time in their career, obviously contributing to a decreased level of stress overall. This leads to the conclusion, as supported by the survey participants in this study and the literature that was reviewed, that the most stressful time for a police officer is during the first two stages of their career. Stress then gradually dissipates after that until the time of retirement, at which time the study reveals that a majority of police officers are experiencing the lowest level of stress of their career to that point. As stated, one of the implications for this study seems to be that younger police officers need to receive more training in terms of how to demand with the demands of the profession. As indicated in literature and surveys, stress in police work is very real and troubling. It is often difficult for police officers to make it through the first five years of the job, for example, because of the high amounts of personal and professional stress that they must endure. This does not only impact them, but is reflected on their families and friends as well. As time goes on, this stress does thens to lessen somewhat, but the cost has already exacted too high a toll on many officers and the damage cannot be undone. This report reveals the troubling trend that many police officers in mid-career feel that work is meaningless, that the community does not understand the difficulties of the profession, and the begin to contemplate a career change. Safe and effective police work requires a proper balance of new and experienced officers in order to keep communities safe and free from the violence that so often plagues modern society. At the same time, it is troubling to note that so many young police officers are experience great amounts of emotional instability during their first five years. This is certainly an area that can be expounded on for future studies. It is critical to find ways to support beginning police officer in order to better handle their positions, manage their stress, and be encouraged to remain on the job for many years to come. The conclusions that the author of the study reaches seems to support this fact. He notes a troubling trend as well with the responses of individuals within the first two stages of their career, when compared to those in the latter two stages. It would be helpful to conduct further studies that focus specifically on those first two stages to determine what tools and resources they fell might be needed moving forward to better train those first entering the law enforcement profession to better be equipped to handle the stress that is most certainly to strike on the job, and strike fast. If this can be done, and stress levels be reduced during those first two stages, then perhaps police work can begin to lose their firm grip as one of the most stressful occupations in existence today. Reference Violanti, J. (1983). Stress patterns in police work: A longitudinal study. Journal of Police Science and Administration, 11(2), 211-216. Read More