Abstract

Few studies have been done concerning the potential mental health impact of working in psychologically stressful careers such as crime scene investigators, police officers, and forensic scientists. Workers in such careers are subject to traumatic experiences on a daily basis while performing standard job duties, and this study sought to link these stressful working conditions to the likelihood of developing various mental health conditions. In this honors thesis study, a survey was sent out to workers in various forensic science-related careers questioning various factors that could possibly be linked to developing a mental health condition, as well as questioning what coping mechanisms, if any, the workers employ to cope with the stressors from their jobs. With this, participants were also questioned on the support they receive in and out of the workplace, to attempt to open a conversation surrounding more mental health access in this field. This study was performed as a pilot study, due to the small sample size, and the results will be used to perform future studies with larger sample sizes to perform statistical tests on.

Semester/Year of Award

Fall 2022

Mentor

Theresa Botts

Mentor Department Affiliation

Psychology

Access Options

Restricted Access Thesis

Document Type

Bachelor Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelor's

Department

Psychology

IRB Approval Number (if applicable)

4425

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