دانلود رایگان مقاله انگلیسی خودکشی با اجرای قانون: یک بررسی - امرالد 2017

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of law enforcement suicide research from 1997 to 2016. Design/methodology/approach – The PRISMA systematic review methodology was implemented. A SCOPUS search identified a total of 97 documents. After applying all exclusion criteria, the results included a list of 44 articles in the review. Findings – Overall, studies investigating law enforcement suicide rates show conflicting results, with some studies showing lower suicide rates among law enforcement, some showing higher rates, and some showing no difference to comparison populations. Recurring research themes were lack of an appropriate comparison group, and small statistical power, particularly for minority and female officers. Stressors related to suicide among police included lack of organizational support, traumatic events, shift work, stigma associated with asking for help, or problems associated with fitting in with the police culture. Problems associated with domestic relationships and alcohol use were commonly mentioned as precursors to suicide or as correlates of suicidal ideation and were hypothesized to arise from stressful working conditions. Research limitations/implications – Some limitations in law enforcement suicide research include the lack of theory, under-reporting of suicides, and guarded survey responses from police officers. Future directions in police suicide research include investigating etiological factors such as past adverse life and family experiences, social-ecological variation in suicide, or differences in suicide rates within the law enforcement occupation. Practical implications – Police work, given chronic and traumatic stress, lack of support, danger, and close public scrutiny is a fertile occupation for increased suicide risk. Awareness of the scope of the problem and associated risk factors can help to initiate prevention programs. Originality/value – This paper provides a long-term review of literature regarding police suicidality, with suggestions for research and prevention.

Conclusion

The present review shows that a wide variety of methods have been used to categorize police suicidality. However, case series and other non-generalizable study designs comprise a large proportion of the current police and suicide literature. An extension of both method and design is needed to capture the correlates of police suicide and ideation. Obtaining information on suicide etiology and prevalence is somewhat more difficult in the guarded occupation of policing compared the general population. Officers are often hesitant to express a need for psychological services if experiencing ideation, and suicide may be underreported or misclassified as a cause of death among police (Violanti, 2010a, b; Violanti et al., 2012).

Suicidal ideation, a precursor to completed suicide, has particular correlates that may be addressed in prevention efforts. Inter-partner problems and/or violence, mental health problems, and substance use problems were frequently cited risk factors for suicide and suicidal ideation across studies (Berg et al., 2003; Klinoff et al., 2015; Pienaar and Rothmann, 2005; Violanti, 2007; Violanti, 2004a, b). These risk factors may be important warning signs that could be considered to help identify officers at risk and potentially prevent suicide. Furthermore, factors such as depression and mental illness, or a history of trauma should be identified prior to the development of suicidal ideation (Enns et al., 2006). More research, using longitudinal study designs is needed to inform interventions, and in particular, to determine how suicide prevention efforts can be modified to meet the unique needs of law enforcement officers.