Correlates of Resilience in Police Officers from England and Pakistan: A Cross National Study

IntroductionTrauma is an unpredictable emotional response to an unpleasant event (Vincent, 2004). It is likely to experience shock or denial immediately after the incident/experience. Other emotional experiences include flashback memories, vulnerability to stress and psychical discomfort (nausea or headaches). Policing is one of the professions which are highly vulnerable towards psychological trauma. This is due to the fact that the very nature of police work includes exposure to unpleasant stimuli such as dead bodies and investigating crime sites. A substantial amount of literature has investigated several indicators to police stress. Most of these studies have identified Nature of trauma experiences and their management may vary across cultures and individuals (Brown, 1994, Peterson, 2006). Culture shapes the way people use their resources for optimal health and benefits. Although an increasing number of researchers are looking at the coping strategies appropriate with the nature of psychological outcomes in the police work, there is a gap in understanding about how indigenous experiences and situational contexts shape the coping processes in a particular police force. It is also important to investigate what factors promote healthy and adaptive coping under a particular scale of threat and how scant resources can be utilized properly. This type of exploration may be useful to those police organizations that have strong multicultural and ethnic diversity. It may also be helpful for policy makers to recognise the role of understanding cultural practices which appear to influence trauma reactions, responses and coping. This study, therefore, embarks upon to understand how meanings of trauma and support are guided culturally and what factors govern the trauma reaction and coping. The analysis is extended to evaluate the mental health state and resilience in two nation's specific police departments.Pakistani ContextThere has been a general increase in psychological issues among police personnel since 9/11 attacks because of change in work role (Schuster al., 2001). Most affected population has been police. Police in the developing countries especially Pakistan is most affected because of its acute association with terror attacks and fight (Abbas , 2005). This reflects growing need for conducting routine psychological assessment for those personnel who work under excessive safety and security threat. Thus it will be first of its kind in Pakistan and would help to provide baseline information for intervention planners to assess need and plan for improvement.The psychological consequences of dealing with threatening situations are well established (Gabriel et al., 2007). An investigation on south Korean police identified up heaving sources and consequences of stress in personnel (Moon & Maxwell, 2004;) including burnout, physical illnesses, family problems and inability to perform duties effectively. Studies also reveal that these stressful experiences may result into family life conflicts and professional difficulties (Maguen et al., 2001; Vincent, 2004). There can be many precursors to it. Studies show that organizational factors such as work environment, night shifts, frequency of exposures and severity of event may be some of the causes (Andrewetal., 2008; Bilal, Rana, Rehim, & Ali, 2007; Morash, etal., 2011). In another investigation with Brazilian police personnel, researchers identified several indicators associated with malfunctioning such as negative effect, frequency of exposure to critical incidents (Carvalho, Cury, & Garcia, 2008; ). These police personnel develop flexible coping strategies (self-help or external) over a period of time and experience and exposures which eventually helps them in mitigating the psychological consequences emerging from work (Anshel,2000; Evans, Coman, Stanley,& Burrows, 1993). The coping strategy operates at two levels. One is conscious, intentional effort to engage in activities which can be productive or prolific (active coping). …