Purpose

Against a background of increasing workload and external criticism, the purpose of this paper is to expose the indelible memories impressed on female police officers dedicated to investigating allegations of rape and sexual violence.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants (n = 15) were female police officers working in a specialist sexual offences investigation unit in a large English Metropolitan Police Force. A semi-structured interview was employed to elicit their experiences as an example of “extreme” police work. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to develop themes elucidating psychological and physical impacts on officers and their coping strategies.

Findings

Personal consequences were framed within the conceptualisation of secondary trauma. Emergent findings revealed profound and lasting vicarious traumatisation. Participants reported feelings of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, intrusive imagery, altered beliefs and cognitions as well as disrupted intimacy with partners. Coping adaptations included sensory shutdown, avoidance, dissociation and a reduction in victim care.

Practical implications

The findings support the need to consider occupational interventions to address risk factors associated with caseload, tenure, personal experience of neglect (e.g. in childhood), and the permeability of work and family boundaries for such exceptional policing tasks.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to a nascent literature on stress in “extreme” police work. The theoretical contribution is the focus on the emotional and physical aspects of vicarious trauma, which have been less well understood than cognitive aspects. The practice implications stress the need for targeted support activities given the profound psychological consequences of prolonged exposure to distressing material.

中文翻译：

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“小红凉鞋”：女警官调查性暴力的经验

目的

在工作量增加和外部批评的背景下，本文的目的是揭露对致力于调查强奸和性暴力指控的女警官留下的不可磨灭的回忆。

设计/方法/方法

参与者（n  = 15）是在英国大城市警察部队中的性犯罪专业调查部门中工作的女警官。进行了半结构化访谈，以得出他们的经验，以此作为“极端”警察工作的一个例子。解释性现象学分析用于发展主题，阐明心理和身体上对军官的影响及其应对策略。

发现

个人后果被定义为继发性创伤的概念。新兴发现揭示了深刻而持久的替代创伤。参与者报告了沮丧，焦虑，自杀意念，侵入性意象，改变的信念和认知以及与伴侣的亲密感。应对方法包括感觉关闭，避免，分离和减少受害者护理。

实际影响

研究结果支持需要考虑职业干预措施，以解决与此类特殊警务任务相关的案件量，任期，个人疏忽（例如在儿童时期）以及工作和家庭界限的渗透性相关的风险因素。

创意/价值

本文为有关“极端”警察工作中的压力的​​新生文献做出了贡献。理论上的贡献集中在替代创伤的情感和身体方面，与认知方面相比，这方面的了解还很少。考虑到长时间暴露于令人痛苦的物质所产生的深远的心理后果，这种实践暗示着需要有针对性的支持活动。