DISCUSSION
5.1 Introduction
Results of this study indicated the four most frequent stressful incidents (table 1.1) experienced by all participants were 1) Finding a corpse after murder (86.4% ) 2) Responding to a scene involving accidental injury of a child (84.8%) .3) Finding a corpse( died of natural causes) (84.8%) 4) Duty related violence (non-shooting)(84.8% ).The frequencies of stressful incidents experienced of this study is higher than that of studies done elsewhere. Statistics from SAPS showed that the Eastern Cape is considered as one of the provinces with the highest crime rates. This finding of this study is that the exposure to stressful incidents especially for more serious events is significantly higher than that of Peltzer (2001)study e.g response to a sexual battery /abuse scene involving a child victim, the frequency for Peltzer study was 60.6% compared to the present study of 80.3%.
The higher percentages obtained by Eastern Cape sample in comparison to Peltzer (2001) study in Limpopo could be related to the higher number of criminal cases that are managed by Eastern Cape police officers in comparison to those officers in the Northern Cape. According to Rothman and Pienaar (2006) Eastern Cape police officers managed 52 criminal cases per detective in comparison with Northern Cape detectives who managed about 32 criminal cases.
The four least frequent incidents experienced by all participants were: (1) Response to the depressing social situation (71.2%), (2) Dragging of a corpse (74.2%), (3) Taking a life in the line of duty (75.8%), (4) Violent death of a colleague (77.3%). The least frequent stressful incident experienced in the Eastern Cape sample: Response to a social depressing situation
(Eastern Cape sample at 71.2%) and (Peltzer’s at 90.9%) is the most frequent stressful incident experienced in the Peltzer (2001) study. Similarities between Peltzer’s and this study is that these tw o ,violent death of a colleague (Peltzer’s at 34% and EC sample at 77.3%) and taking a live in line of duty (Peltzer’s at 30.3% and EC sample at 75.8%) were both reported as among least frequent stressful events.
The stressful incidents which led to the four highest scores relating to total emotional intensity among all participants were (1) Threat with a firearm (9.9) ;(2) Pursuit of an armed suspect (9.7) ; (3) Violent death of a colleague (9.4); (4) Violent confrontation, for instance threat with a knife (9.3).Findings on the total emotional intensity of stressful events is lower than that of Peltzer(2001) . Pursuit of an armed suspect is reported in this study as well as Peltzer’s as among the highest events scored on total emotional intensity (P eltzer’s at 11.40 and EC at 9.7). The item violent death of a partner in line of duty( 9.2) is among the highest ranking on total emotional intensity in this study, where in Peltzer(2001) study it is among the lower ranking at (8.8).
Results of this study is supported by Violante and Aaron (1994) that found the four top ranked stressors among US police were experiencing a fellow officer being killed ,physical attacks and experiences with battered children. Stressful incidents which led to the lowest scores relating to emotional intensity of participants in this study were the following (1) Finding corpse (died of natural causes) (7.2); (2) Attending to witchcraft case (7.8); (3) Conflagration scene(victims dead or injured) (8.1); (4) Assistance in calamity other than mentioned above (8.1).
Findings in this study was that the incident on all participants: Finding a corpse (died of natural causes) was found to evoke the least emotional intensity, similar to that of Peltzer (2001). The incident that caused the highest total emotional intensity was threat with a firearm, the second highest being, the pursuit of an armed suspect. Prinsloo (2006) concluded that 67% of attackers in his study of robberies were armed with firearms. The latest crime statistics has shown that armed robberies has increased significantly and the Eastern Cape has been identified as one of the provinces with the highest crime rate (Crime Quaterly, 2006).
Male participants had higher frequency of exposure to stressful incidents than the female participants, with the highest frequency between 80-85% while male participants’ highest frequency vary between 87-91%. The Lowest frequency of exposure to stressful incident among female participants is below 70% , which is also significant lower than that of the male participants which is 80% and above. This is supported by reports by Akiva, Liberman, Best, Metzler, Weiss and Marmar (2002) in their US police study that US female police officers reported less exposure to operational stressors within the workplace, but if exposed to such stressors reported more adverse reactions than their male counterparts.
A comparison between the frequency of stressful incidents experienced between male and female police officers were the following: The four most frequent incidents by male police officers were: (1) Finding a corpse after murder(87%), (2) Responding to a scene involving accidental injury of a child (87%), (3) Pursuit of an armed suspect (87%), 4) finding a corpse (die of natural causes) (87%) . The four most frequent incidents experienced by female police officers were (1) Participation in raid involving armed and dangerous subjects (85%), Conflagration scene (victims dead or injured),(85%), (2) Responding to a scene involving the accidental injury of a child (80%), (3) finding a corpse (natural causes) (80% ) (4) Responding
to social depressing situation (75%).There are two events that has been reported as most frequent in both male and female, finding a corpse that died of natural causes and responding to a scene involving accidental injury of a child. The difference though is the rating in males is slightly higher in male participants than female participants.
Results of this study indicate that the female participants’ exposure to stressful incidents is lower than that of the male participants. According to Bezuidenhout (2002) there seems to be a difference in how female officers execute their duties, they are less likely to apprehend suspicious pedestrians or to use their firearms in dangerous situations. Female officers are also less likely to patrol dangerous areas without male counterparts as policing is still mainly viewed from the traditional view (Martin& Jurick (1996).
The four least frequent incidents experienced by male police officers were: (1) Dragging of a corpse (80.4%), (2) Threat with a fire arm (80.4%), (3) Accident with departmental vehicle (80.4%), (4) Taking a life in the line of duty (82.6%). The four least frequent incidents experienced among female police officers were: (1) Attending a witchcraft case (70%), (2)Finding a corpse after a suicide (70%), (3) Violent death of a colleague(70%), (4) Held hostage (70%). The frequency reported for the least frequent incident experienced for male participants is higher than the female participants. No similarities were found and the least frequent incidents reported by female participants seems to have rating of 80% and above in the male participants.
The stressful incidents which led to the four highest scores relating to total emotional intensity among male police officers were:
subjects (7.48); (3) Threat with a firearm (7.01); (4) Violent confrontation, for ins tance with a knife (6.88). The stressful incidents which led to the four highest scores relating to total intensity among female police officers were (1) Suicide of an officer who was an close friend (7.54); (2) Threat with a firearm (7.07); (3) Responding to a scene involving the accidental injury of a child (7.03); (4) Responding to scene involving the accidental death of a child (6.8).Both male and female participants reported threat with an firearm as among highest total emotional intensity incidents.
The incident with lowest scores relating to emotional intensity among male police officers were the following: Attending a witchcraft case (3.95); (2) Dragging a corpse (4.46); (3) Assistance in calamity other than mentioned (4.62); (4) Finding a corpse who died of natural causes (4.76). Those that led to the lowest scores relating to emotional intensity among female police officers were (1) Dragging a corpse (4.4); (2) Finding a corpse (died of natural causes) (4.35)); (3) Shooting someone in the line of duty (4.54); (4) Taking a life in the line of duty (4.75) .Similarities on the lowest total emotional intensity incidents by both male and female participants were ,dragging a corpse and finding a corpse (died of natural causes).
Findings from this study indicate a strong association between ptss-10 symptoms, age and years/length of service whereas Peltzer (2001) found no significant association between PTSS-10 symptoms and years of service of participants. The positive relationship between PTSS symptoms and age and length of service are supported by finding of Martin, McKleen and Veltkamp (1996) that police officers who were frequently exposed to multiple repeated traumatic events, had increased risk of developing Post traumatic stress disorder. Coping abilities of police officers break down with increased exposure to pain, suffering and death (Moran and Britton, 1994) Results of studies by Stephens (1998) among New Zealand police
officers found a positive relationship between the number of traumatic experiences and post traumatic stress disorder symptoms.
According to Fischer and Reidesser (as cited in Peltzer, 2001) a score of 36 plus on the PTSS- 10 scale indicates a likelihood of PTSD symptoms. This study found that 10(15.2) of the sample were likely to have PTSD compared the study of Peltzer (2001) where 9% of participants indicated likelihood of PTSD symptoms. This is consistent to the much higher exposure of the Eastern Cape SAPS to stressful events.
Female participant’s results portray a positive relationship between total threat, anxiety, helplessness and PTSS- scale. This is supported by Collins (2003) study that concluded that female police officers tend to worry more and they tend to perceive their workplace as threatening. According to Weiss et al (2001) women report less exposure to operational stressors, but if exposed they report more adverse reactions than their male counterparts. This supports the findings of this study in terms of affective responses to operational stressors.
This study finds that there is a relationship between the female officers’ frequency of stressful incidents experienced and PTSS-scale. This has been supported by Martin,Veltkamp and McKlean(1986) who found that female officers tend to report exposure to stressful incidents and events more than male officers. Their study also suggested that there is a gender difference in the psychological reactions to stressors and those female officers tend to identify more with the victim than male police officers.
The incident that evokes the highest total emotional intensity among female officers was recorded as the suicide of an officer who is a close friend(7.54). While the incident that evoke
suspect (7.79) . Gender differences exist in the perception and psychological reaction to stressful incidents experienced by police officers as was found by Karlson & Archer(2007), This also seems to correlate with studies by Knoetze & De Bruin (2001), Mc Farlane (1989) that there is a positive relationship between anxiety and post traumatic stress symptoms.
In 1998 the SAPS launched a R4 million SAPS counselling service project geared at suicide prevention. The SAPS Employee Assistance Support Centre (EASC) provides this counselling service to SAPS employees whose personal and work related problems interfere with their work performance. Statistics has shown that the counselling services were however under-utilized by SAPS members (Masuku, 2000).
5.2 Conclusion
The present study found much higher exposure to the stressful events than the comparable studies. Significant gender differences were found in the perception and psychological reaction to stressful incidents experienced by male and female police officers.
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