Correlates of hopelessness in the high suicide risk police occupation

Police officers are chronically exposed to work stress. We examined specific stressors that may be associated with hopelessness, a possible risk factor for suicide in this high suicide risk population. The study included 378 officers (276 men and 102 women) with complete data. Analysis of variance was used to estimate mean levels of hopelessness scores as associated with stress, adjusted for age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Posttraumatic symptoms were tested as a modifier of the association between stress and hopelessness. Increasing stress of administrative practices and lack of support were significantly associated with increasing hopelessness among officers (p < .006 – hopelessness range: 1.64–2.65; and p < .001 – hopelessness range 1.60–2.80, respectively). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms significantly modified the association between lack of organizational support and hopelessness (p < .010) with significant association only among individuals with higher PTSD symptoms (p < .001). Results suggest that hopelessness is associated with specific stressors in police work, and this is modified by posttraumatic symptomatology.     

Stress in small town and rural law enforcement: Testing the assumptions

Sandy and Devine (1978) theorized that small-town and rural police officers experienced Stressors different from their urban counterparts. They delineated four rural stress dimensions: security, social factors, working conditions, and inactivity. Despite the number of hypotheses annunciated by these authors from their exposure to small-town and rural police, they have never been tested. This study is an attempt to rectify this deficiency in the literature by testing their theory/hypotheses with data derived from a survey questionnaire of West Virginia law enforcement officers. The findings of this study lend support for many of the original hypotheses and all four of the dimensions.     

Team-based incremental acquisition of large-scale unprecedented systems

This paper addresses certain shortcomings of traditional acquisition approaches, especially for large-scale, unprecedented systems. Shortcomings in the requirements engineering processes are emphasized. We review incremental acquisition approaches and identify issues essential to successful application of incremental acquisition approaches to overcome these shortcomings.In identifying these issues, cases based on systems being developed by the Air Force Space Command are examined. They are the Granite Sentry (GS), Space Defense Operations Centers (SPADOC), and Mobile Command and Control System (MCCS) programs. Three key aspects of the lessons learned from these efforts parallel the steps suggested by a recent Air Force Studies Board report for reducing risk in developing unprecedented systems. These are team-based development, managing requirements uncertainty and change, and increased use of incremental acquisition approaches.This work was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. Approved for public release, distribution unlimited. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Air Force, the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.     

Police and Alcohol Use: A Descriptive Analysis and Associations with Stress Outcomes

Alcohol misuse is a significant problem in police work. This study describes alcohol use correlates and examines psychological outcomes of stress associated with the use and level of alcohol by police officers. Measures: (1) AUDIT-Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; (2) demographics; (3) Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale; (4) Impact of Events Scale (PTSD); and (5) life events scale. The mean AUDIT score was M = 5.64 (low risk <8). Male officers had significantly higher scores in overall AUDIT total, hazardous alcohol use domain, and dependent symptoms domain (p = 0.004, 0.002, 0.031, respectively). Women officers in the hazardous drinking range on the AUDIT were significantly younger than women officers in the lower AUDIT range (p = 0.050). Males in the hazardous drinking range had significantly higher external life event scores than females (p = 0.037), suggesting a need for increased attention to the spillover effect of police work.