Police and Alcohol Use: A Descriptive Analysis and Associations with Stress Outcomes

Alcohol misuse is a significant problem in police work. This study describes alcohol use correlates and examines psychological outcomes of stress associated with the use and level of alcohol by police officers. Measures: (1) AUDIT-Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; (2) demographics; (3) Cent...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Violanti, John M. (Autor) ; Slaven, James E. (Autor) ; Charles, Luenda E. (Autor) ; Burchfiel, Cecil M. (Autor) ; Andrew, Michael E. (Autor) ; Homish, Gregory G. (Autor)
Tipo de documento: Electrónico Artículo
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: 2011
En: American journal of criminal justice
Año: 2011, Volumen: 36, Número: 4, Páginas: 344-356
Acceso en línea: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Verificar disponibilidad: HBZ Gateway
Palabras clave:
Family spillover effect
Stress
Alcohol use
Police
Descripción
Sumario:Alcohol misuse is a significant problem in police work. This study describes alcohol use correlates and examines psychological outcomes of stress associated with the use and level of alcohol by police officers. Measures: (1) AUDIT-Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; (2) demographics; (3) Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale; (4) Impact of Events Scale (PTSD); and (5) life events scale. The mean AUDIT score was M = 5.64 (low risk <8). Male officers had significantly higher scores in overall AUDIT total, hazardous alcohol use domain, and dependent symptoms domain ( p = 0.004, 0.002, 0.031, respectively). Women officers in the hazardous drinking range on the AUDIT were significantly younger than women officers in the lower AUDIT range ( p = 0.050). Males in the hazardous drinking range had significantly higher external life event scores than females ( p = 0.037), suggesting a need for increased attention to the spillover effect of police work.
ISSN:1936-1351
DOI:10.1007/s12103-011-9121-7