RESUMO
This study establishes the reliability and validity of the Law Enforcement Officer Stress Survey (LEOSS), a short early-warning stress-screening measure for law enforcement officers. The initial phase of LEOSS development employed the behavioral-analytic model to construct a 25-item instrument specifically geared toward evaluation of stress in this population. The purpose of the present study was to examine psychometric properties of the LEOSS. Results indicate this instrument has good levels of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity. Potential applications of the LEOSS in clinical and research contexts are discussed. The next phase of research on the LEOSS is discussed, and suggestions for directions that future research in this area might take are offered.
Assuntos
Doenças Profissionais/epidemiologia , Inventário de Personalidade/estatística & dados numéricos , Polícia/estatística & dados numéricos , Estresse Psicológico/epidemiologia , Adulto , Alaska , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Florida , Inquéritos Epidemiológicos , Humanos , Masculino , Programas de Rastreamento/estatística & dados numéricos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Doenças Profissionais/diagnóstico , Doenças Profissionais/psicologia , Psicometria/estatística & dados numéricos , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos/diagnóstico , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos/epidemiologia , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos/psicologia , Transtornos de Estresse Traumático/diagnóstico , Transtornos de Estresse Traumático/epidemiologia , Transtornos de Estresse Traumático/psicologia , Estresse Psicológico/diagnóstico , Estresse Psicológico/psicologiaRESUMO
Research and clinical reports over the past 25 years have documented the high level of stress inherent in the law enforcement profession. Further, these findings have indicated a wide range of negative physical and mental health sequelae from this stress. The present study employed a behavioral-analytic assessment approach to develop a brief, early warning screening measure of stress among law enforcement officers, the Law Enforcement Officer Stress Survey (LEOSS). This paper describes the initial phases of the LEOSS development following the behavioral-analytic method, which included situational analysis, item development, response enumeration, response evaluation, and construction of the survey. This process resulted in a final 25-item instrument specifically geared toward evaluation of stress in law enforcement officers. The next phase of research on the LEOSS, and suggestions for directions that research in this area might take, are offered.
