A Correlational Examination Among Law Enforcement Officersâ Operational Stress and Media Consumption

A Correlational Examination Among Law Enforcement Officers’ Operational Stress and Media Consumption by Patrick Allen Schmucker MS, Regis University, 2015 ME, Lesley University, 2013 BS, University of Phoenix, 2011 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Criminal Justice Walden University May 2019 Abstract Twenty-first century technology advancements have made the consumption of law enforcement related information on different types of media platforms more accessible. There is a relationship among media consumption on various platforms (traditional, social, and entertainment) and the altering of societal and personal perceptions and behaviors. However, there is little to no research on whether media consumption alters a law enforcement officer’s operational stress (OS). The purpose of this quantitative study was to fill this knowledge gap by exploring a sample of active duty law enforcement officers in South Carolina. Social learning and rational choice theories comprised the theoretical framework for this study. Internet survey data collection entailed 124 South Carolina active duty law enforcement officers who were members of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association or a private Facebook group for South Carolina law enforcement officers. Spearman’s rho correlation and stepwise multiple linear regression were used to test the hypotheses. The results indicated a statistically significant relationships among the sample between the time spent consuming law enforcement related information on traditional and social media platforms and law enforcement officers’ OS, but there was no significant correlation with entertainment media. Social change implications of this study include providing information for the development of continuous stress management education and best practices in South Carolina. Preparing law enforcement officers to deal with stressors of 21st century policing benefiting the communities they serve.Twenty-first century technology advancements have made the consumption of law enforcement related information on different types of media platforms more accessible. There is a relationship among media consumption on various platforms (traditional, social, and entertainment) and the altering of societal and personal perceptions and behaviors. However, there is little to no research on whether media consumption alters a law enforcement officer’s operational stress (OS). The purpose of this quantitative study was to fill this knowledge gap by exploring a sample of active duty law enforcement officers in South Carolina. Social learning and rational choice theories comprised the theoretical framework for this study. Internet survey data collection entailed 124 South Carolina active duty law enforcement officers who were members of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association or a private Facebook group for South Carolina law enforcement officers. Spearman’s rho correlation and stepwise multiple linear regression were used to test the hypotheses. The results indicated a statistically significant relationships among the sample between the time spent consuming law enforcement related information on traditional and social media platforms and law enforcement officers’ OS, but there was no significant correlation with entertainment media. Social change implications of this study include providing information for the development of continuous stress management education and best practices in South Carolina. Preparing law enforcement officers to deal with stressors of 21st century policing benefiting the communities they serve. A Correlational Examination Among Law Enforcement Officers’ Operational Stress and Media Consumption by Patrick Allen Schmucker MS, Regis University, 2015 ME, Lesley University, 2013 BS, University of Phoenix, 2011 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Criminal Justice Walden University May 2019 Dedication I dedicate this dissertation to my loving and supportive family, friends, and fellow law enforcement officers who have been by my side throughout my educational journey. To my spouse Jennifer, my daughter Alyssa, and my son Alex, I dedicate this dissertation to you most of all; for all of you have sacrificed and endured to support me mentally and physically throughout my dissertation journey. All the missed date nights, soccer matches, and lacrosse matches, were lost times, but not a lost cause. I love you all to the moon and back and could not have completed this journey without your love, motivation, and even at times, your blunt remarks. For all the lost memories this journey has created, I dedicate this dissertation to you as one we will always remember. Acknowledgments I would like to start by acknowledging my loving and supportive spouse Jennifer. If it was from countless hours of proof-reading, to listening to me talk about quantitative data you had zero knowledge about. You were always there by my side lending me a helping eye or ear. To my son Alex and my daughter Alyssa, thank you for all the supportive text messages, social media posts, and phone calls from college, every time I completed a milestone during this journey, or needed an extra push of encouragement I knew I could always count on you two. To Dr. Gregory Campbell, my dissertation chair and mentor, words cannot express how grateful I am for your willingness to sacrifice your time to help someone you have never even met. You are the true meaning of mentor and scholar. A mentor I will always look up to and am blessed to have earned your friendship. You were always there when the journey became overwhelming and your words of encouragement always provided reassurance and motivation. Your dedication to my success will never be forgotten, and I hope this is a start of a wonderful and blessed working relationship for years to come. To Dr. Dana-Marie Thomas, my committee member, I would like to extend a special thank you and commend you on your attention to detail you provided throughout my journey. You ensured my dissertation was consistent and professional, meeting the highest level of scholarly workmanship. Your critical thinking skills provided me with insight, opening my thoughts to the possibility of future research, which; without your guidance, may have gone unnoticed. I am truly blessed and grateful for the time you have sacrificed for my success. I hope one day, we too, will be able to form a successful working relationship for the betterment of social change. To Dr. Monique Allen, my cohort leader, peer mentor, and friend. Your persistence, drive, and guidance were key factors to my success. I would not be where I am today without your countless emails and text messages, keeping me on task and pushing me beyond my limits. You always seen the drive within me and were able to use that to keep me on task. I view you as much more than a peer mentor, I view you as a trusted lifelong friend. To Dr. Joseph Pascarella, my university research reviewer, I would like to extend a special thank for all your supportive feedback and constructive guidance. I would also like to thank Steve Creech for his support and educational guidance during my dissertation journey. In addition, I am grateful to my law enforcement family in South Carolina, California, and New Jersey for your support.