TY - JOUR
T1 - Aggression Against Police Officers and Behavior Toward Citizens
T2 - Reciprocal Influence or Common Causes?
AU - van Reemst, Lisa
AU - Fischer, Tamar
AU - Weerman, Frank
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2022 van Reemst, Fischer and Weerman.
PY - 2022/6/23
Y1 - 2022/6/23
N2 - Police officers are often the victim of aggression by citizens, which has negative consequences for them and society in general. Therefore, it is important to gain knowledge about related factors. This study examines to what extent experiencing aggression as a police officer is related to their patience with citizens and use of force weapons and tools. Two explanations based on the victim-offender overlap are examined: experiences of aggression and behavior toward citizens influence each other vs. both have common causes. This study was conducted on the basis of a longitudinal survey among police officers (N = 693). The results show that behavior toward citizens, including patience with citizens and the use of force is related to the aggression police officers experience. The association decreases but does not disappear when common causes are taken into account, in this case socio-demographic and work-related characteristics. No direct support is found for reciprocal influence. Implications and suggestions for further research are described.
AB - Police officers are often the victim of aggression by citizens, which has negative consequences for them and society in general. Therefore, it is important to gain knowledge about related factors. This study examines to what extent experiencing aggression as a police officer is related to their patience with citizens and use of force weapons and tools. Two explanations based on the victim-offender overlap are examined: experiences of aggression and behavior toward citizens influence each other vs. both have common causes. This study was conducted on the basis of a longitudinal survey among police officers (N = 693). The results show that behavior toward citizens, including patience with citizens and the use of force is related to the aggression police officers experience. The association decreases but does not disappear when common causes are taken into account, in this case socio-demographic and work-related characteristics. No direct support is found for reciprocal influence. Implications and suggestions for further research are described.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85134033898&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.866923
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.866923
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85134033898
SN - 1664-1078
VL - 13
JO - Frontiers in Psychology
JF - Frontiers in Psychology
M1 - 866923
ER -