Impacts of organisational role and environmental factors on moral injury and trauma amongst police investigators in Internet Child Abuse Teams

Abstract

Little is known about how the effects of moral injury and trauma manifest amongst police Internet Child Abuse Teams. This article reports on the impacts of organisational role and environmental factors on moral injury and trauma amongst this population. Six participants were recruited from two police constabularies in the United Kingdom. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings indicated that the participants’ moral injury and trauma were predominantly attributable to excessive workloads and stigma in relation to mental health within policing. Generic psychological interventions were insufficiently responsive to the complex needs of the police investigators.

How we can protect the protectors: learning from police officers and staff involved in child sexual abuse and exploitation investigations

“…Public-stigma, which is the culmination of endorsed prejudice, stereotyping, and labelling felt by individuals ( Corrigan, 2004 ; Wade et al, 2011 ), was perceived as a powerful barrier which inhibited their help-seeking behaviours and led to under-utilised support services in the current data. These findings echo other research ( Corrigan, 2004 ; Velazquez and Hernandez, 2019 ; Foley and Massey, 2020 ; Doyle et al, 2021 ; Edwards and Kotera, 2021 ). For example, Vogel et al (2007) suggested stigma is the most common reason people do not seek counselling for their mental health needs.…”

“…Overcoming stigma presents a challenge to policing as an organisation, but it is fundamental for creating positive working cultures, which normalise the fact that the CSAE workforce may be impacted by the work at times. Doyle et al (2021) highlighted that overcoming stigma requires psychoeducation regarding mental health and the development of a mental health agenda. Foley et al (2022) also recognised the importance of tackling stigma by improving the workplace culture to one where officers feel able, and safe, to talk about their emotions and feelings without fear of negative consequences.…”

“…The importance of positive and supportive relationships with managers and senior officers has been noted in other research. Doyle et al (2021) highlight that more involvement and training of managers about mental health would help enable them to be more aware of mental health issues earlier, give and signpost to appropriate support and reduce stigma, with their findings suggesting that “ sensitive management ” was important because it can help reduce stigma and fear around seeking support for mental health concerns. Other research highlighted the importance of supervisors who really understood the challenges and impact of working in CSAE investigative teams in supporting them to cope with the role, which increased a sense of wellbeing ( Burns et al, 2008 ; Powell et al, 2015 ; Parkes et al, 2018 ).…”

“…There is a growing body of research which shows that working in CSAE investigations can carry significant risks to the emotional and psychological health and wellbeing of the police officers and staff involved, and the impacts of CSAE investigations can vary. Some studies recognise the chronic impacts on this particular workforce, such as burnout 4 ( Maslach et al, 2001 ; Perez et al, 2010 ; Brady, 2017 ), compassion fatigue 5 ( Figley, 2002 ), and moral injury 6 ( Shay, 2014 ; Lee et al, 2020 ; Doyle et al, 2021 ; Tapson et al, 2021 ). Cartwright and Roach (2020) report that stress, depression and anxiety were the three top reasons respectively, and that police employees took sickness leave between 2008 and 2018.…”

“…Furthermore, where they intersect has been recognised as creating barriers to seeking mental health support amongst police officers ( Velazquez and Hernandez, 2019 ; Edwards and Kotera, 2021 ; Newell et al, 2022 ). Some research highlights ongoing concerns regarding barriers to accessing support ( Doyle et al, 2021 ) and the efficacy of support that is provided to CSAE investigators ( MacEachern et al, 2019 ).…”