Four focus groups were held in various regions of the State. Five troopers and their spouses attended each session, and feedback was obtained on topics to be addressed in a study on stress. The feedback was incorporated into a study design that involved four Power Point presentations. The University of North Carolina School of Medicine Institutional Review Board approved the methods and materials used in the project. A CD package was developed for the presentation of the programs. In November 2000, the project director mailed 80 CD's to the experimental group of troopers, along with questionnaires and bubble sheets. Thirty-one answer sheets from the experimental group and 77 from the control group were returned. The survey instrument measured stress according to a system based on a theory of stress-buffering developed by Harrell and Johnson in 1992. Findings showed that the project's goal of reducing stress levels through an intervention program was not achieved. There were no significant differences between the experimental and control groups on any of the nine composite variables. Thus, the findings showed that the unsolicited freestanding packaged program did not bring measurable immediate change in stress-reduction behaviors or effects of stress. 5 tables
Reaching Out to North Carolina's Law Enforcement Community, February 2001
NCJ Number
188874
Date Published
2001
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This report presents the methodology and findings of an evaluation of a project for statewide distribution of a stress-prevention and treatment program for the North Carolina Highway Patrol.
Abstract