Impact of Child Sexual Abuse Material Investigations Among Law Enforcement Personnel: Distress, Coping, and Holistic Well-Being

• In Event: Police Officers' Mental Health and Wellness

Abstract

Objective: Police investigators and forensic examiners working with child sexual abuse material (CSAM) cases experience emotional and psychological distress related to content. The current study sought to understand the degree of psychological distress experienced, the cognitive coping skills employed to mitigate distress, and how these factors impact holistic well-being.
Design: Anonymous surveys were completed by police investigators and forensic examiners across the United States. The current sample consists of a sub-group of 258 investigators with CSAM exposure who completed a survey about their experiences involving one particularly “stressful or challenging” case.
Findings: Findings indicate high levels of distress related to CSAM cases. The degree of distress was related to the cognitive coping skills employed. Participants who believed they were able to handle their role in the investigation, viewed the case as an opportunity to test their abilities, and felt it was an opportunity to become stronger experienced fewer negative impacts on psychological well-being. Negative coping was also explored and related to lower levels of well-being.
Conclusions: Findings indicate interventions that target how investigators and forensic interviewers working on CSAM cases frame their role may facilitate their psychological well-being and ability to continue to work on these potentially distressing cases.

Authors

• Jennifer O'Brien, University of New Hampshire

• Kimberly Mitchell, Crimes against Children Research Center

• Ateret Gewirtz-Meydan, University of Haifa