Abstract
Recently in society, there is a notice that law enforcement officers are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Those who suffer from PTSD must meet Criteria A through E and then meet the exposure criteria. There are many potential reasons as to why these officers are not coming forward to receive help. Police officers struggle to come forward because of stigma and police subculture. There is a perceived stigma that those who come forward to receive any help for mental health struggles are weak individuals. The police subculture plays into that stigma because if other officers see an officer going to receive help, they may think that officer cannot handle the stresses of the job and question his ability to perform. In this paper there were two studies conducted an anonymous interview and an anonymous survey. The interview reported that there was stigma present in law enforcement and was a key factor in officers not coming forward. The survey did not have a large number of responses so no inferences could be made, but the results were promising. There are different types of treatments that are available for PTSD that have shown promising results to reduce PTSD. There needs to be continued research in PTSD in law enforcement and more treatments.
Semester/Year of Award
Fall 2024
Mentor
Christina B. Dewhurst
Mentor Department Affiliation
Justice Studies
Access Options
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Honors Scholars
Degree Level
Bachelors
Department
Justice Studies
IRB Approval Number (if applicable)
005691
Recommended Citation
Leitenberger, Emma R., "Why PTSD is not discussed within Law Enforcement" (2024). Honors Theses. 1072.
https://encompass.eku.edu/honors_theses/1072
