NCJ Number
63061
Journal
American Journal of Community Psychology Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: (1977) Pages: 59-73
Date Published
1977
Length
15 pages
Annotation
RESULTS ARE REPORTED FROM PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL AND SELF-REPORT TESTS, OF 135 POLICE DEPUTIES' REACTIONS TO A STRESSFUL FILM.
Abstract
SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY CHOSEN FROM A GROUP OF WHITE MALES WITH NO MORE THAN 10 YEARS OF SERVICE. NINE GROUPS OF 15 SUBJECTS WERE EXPOSED TO 3 TREATMENT CONDITIONS: (1) VIEWING A TRAVELOGUE FILM ENCOURAGING RELAXATION, (2) A 10-MINUTE RELAXATION INTERVAL IN WHICH SUBJECTS WAITED UNAWARE OF FUTURE EVENTS; AND (3) VIEWING AN ACCIDENT FILM PREVIOUSLY PROVEN TO ELICIT STRESS. PRIOR TO TESTING, THE SUBJECTS WERE MEASURED FOR NORMAL ANXIETY LEVEL: DURING THE EXPERIMENT, THEIR STRESS WAS MEASURED BY SKIN RESISTANCE RESPONSE AND SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES. IN GENERAL, INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFICERS' TREATMENT CONDITION ABETTED STRESS REDUCTION, AND INDIVIDUAL PERSONALITY VARIABLES INFLUENCED REACTIVITY. THE 'VIGILANT COPER' GROUP 1, UNIFORMLY DEMONSTRATED INTOLERANCE FOR UNCERTAINTY, WHEREAS, THE RESPONSES OF THE 'NEUTRAL' GROUP 2 AND 'AVOIDER' GROUP 3, GROUPS WERE SEPARABLE ACCORDING TO ANXIETY LEVEL, WITH LOWER ANXIETY FACILITATING ADAPTATION TO THE STRESSOR. THE FIRST TWO GROUPS WERE EVENTUALLY SHOWN A STRESSFUL FILM CONCERNING AN ACCIDENT AFTER BEING WARNED AND GIVEN INFORMATION ABOUT THE FILM. THE FINAL GROUP WAS GIVEN NO ADVANCED WARNING OR INFORMATION ABOUT THE ACCIDENT FILM IT WAS SHOWN. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN SUPERVISORY RATINGS OF FIELD PERFORMANCE AND THE DATA FOR THE 'NO-WARNING' EXPOSURE TO STRESS, SUGGESTING THAT THE DEMANDS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICE WERE APPROXIMATED BY THE SIMULATED STRESS PROCEDURE. (RCB)