Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

James Jackson III

Committee Member

Lisa Carbone

Committee Member

Kimberly Durham

Keywords

stress management, coping, self management, police

Abstract

Police officers work in a career field that brings on a host of stressors. Police officers respond to shootings, robberies, sexual assault calls, and death-related calls just to name a few. In addition to experiencing the stress that comes with all of those responsibilities, Black police officers have to navigate the law enforcement field as members of the minority community. Black police officers work in a field that has been viewed negatively by the minority community. It was important to hear the stories of Black police officers and understand how they navigate the stress they experience in their daily lives.

Few studies have solely examined the lived experiences of Black police officers, the stressors that ail them, how they perform, and the coping mechanisms they rely on to alleviate their stress. This study explored the lived experiences of Black police officers and the impact of stress on their job and how it affects them personally by using interpretative phenomenological analysis.

The results suggest that Black police officers are primarily impacted by organizational stress, specifically, their primary stress comes from their supervisors. To deal with their stress, Black police officers rely heavily on their social support, specifically their family members and their friends. They do not believe that they need to use professional mental health counselors to alleviate their stress. This study adds to the literature of police officers, the stressors that impact them, and the methods they use to cope with stress. The results may benefit police administrators on educating themselves on how to address Black police officers experiencing stress and what can be done to help that population.

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