A prospective study of alcohol consumption rates of first‐year Australian police officers

Abstract

Purpose -To prospectively investigate the alcohol consumption and health-related behaviours of Australian police officers. Design/methodology/approach -Demographic, work environment, general health and wellbeing, and alcohol consumption measures were obtained from 100 Australian police officers at two time points; the first as they underwent initial training before the commencement of operational policing duties (time 1), and the second after they had completed 12 months of operational duties (time 2). Findings -Results indicated a significant increase in the quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption over time. The number of female officers, but not male officers, who reported drinking at harmful levels increased between time periods. Overall, there were no changes in the number of officers who reported risk of harmful drinking or alcohol dependency. Alcohol consumption measure scores were not associated with age, marital status, education level, general health and wellbeing, or work-environment variables. Smoking was associated with harmful drinking behaviour at time 1, but not at time 2. The number of officers who reported smoking increased significantly over time. Originality/value -This paper builds on findings of previous studies by examining the within-groups reported drinking behaviours of a sample of Australian police officers for changes over time associated with exposure to police work and the police environment.

Work-Related Violence, Debriefing and Increased Alcohol Consumption among Police Officers

“…Furthermore, in the assessment of alcohol use, many studies concerning alcohol problems have used different self-report screening instruments (Richmond et al, 1998;Romelsjö et al, 1992;Smith, 2007;Swatt et al, 2007;Vahtera, Poikolainen, Kivimäki, Ala-Mursula, & Pentti, 2002;Vasse, Nijhuis, & Kok, 1998). This has often been the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), which shows how much alcohol a person consumes (Ahola et al, 2006;Davey et al, 2001;Frone, 1999;Grunberg et al, 1999;Lindsay & Shelley, 2009;Obst et al, 2001;Rallings et al, 2005). Different reasons for drinking have been studied (Davey et al; Grunberg et al), but as far as we know, the items have never included work-related violence.…”

“…In the United States, police officers' alcohol consumption is more hazardous and harmful than that of the general population (Anshel, 2000;Clair, 2006;Swatt et al, 2007). Alcohol abuse has also been found to be a problem among police officers in the UK (Rees & Smith, 2008;Richmond et al, 1998), and Australia (Davey et al, 2001;Rallings, Martin, & Davey, 2005;Smith 2007). In the USA, 23 per cent of police officers (Swatt et al), in Australia, 32 per cent (Obst et al, 2001), and in the UK 48 per cent of male and 40 per cent of female police officers (Obst et al) have serious drinking problems.…”

Alcohol and Tobacco Consumption among Australian Police Officers: 1989 to 2005

“…Not all substance use research has revealed consistent findings however, with some investigations suggesting that alcohol consumption among law enforcement officers may vary over time. In a longitudinal study for example, Rallings et al (2005) found that the proportion of Australian police who drank alcohol at harmful levels rose from 9 per cent to 17 per cent during the first 12 months of operational duties.…”

“…Alcohol consumption among police may not be constant, however, and probably varies over time. In a longitudinal study for example, Rallings, Martin and Davey (2005) found that the proportion of Australian police who drank alcohol at harmful levels rose from 9 per cent to 17 per cent during the first 12 months of operational duties. A similar investigation of police recruits from their first day in the academy through to one year into training also suggested that the risk of harm from alcohol consumption probably increases over time , with a tendency towards heavier drinking sessions (Obst & Davey, 2003).…”

“…Despite this fact, an accurate assessment of alcohol and tobacco consumption among Australian police has not been undertaken over an extended period of time, particularly on a national basis. Previous longitudinal research has only investigated substance use during the first year of operational duties (Rallings et al, 2005) or during an intervention programme (Richmond et al, 1999), while national research has thus far been limited to a single year (McNeill & Wilson, 1993). Few Australian authors have looked at alcohol and tobacco use among police over a ten-year period, even though such research would be important for understanding past trends and predicting future ones.…”