https://doi.org/10.21852/sem.1904
The article examines the functioning and experiences of children of police officers in relation to their perceptions of their parent’s police service, adjustment to parental absence and irregular work schedules, anxiety about the parent’s safety, and family support. A mixed-methods design combined surveys of 300 police officers and 300 wives of police officers, 20 semi-structured interviews with police officers, a focus group with five experts in psychology and psychotherapy, and five case studies of police families. Quantitative analyses included response distributions and Spearman’s rank correlations (p ≤ 0.05), while qualitative material was analysed thematically and integrated through triangulation. In both survey groups, approximately half of respondents reported that children frequently had to adjust to parental absence. Among police officers, 40.0% reported frequent anxiety among their children associated with service-related risks, while 40.0% of wives indicated that their children frequently asked about their father’s safety. Age-appropriate conversations about police work were reported by 58.7% of wives and 54.7% of officers. Greater service-related demands were associated with increased anxiety among children from both perspectives (ρ = 0.23; p < 0.01 and ρ = 0.28; p < 0.001). Qualitative findings suggest that pride and the perceived social value of police work may coexist with uncertainty, heightened vigilance, and peer pressure. Predictable routines, age-appropriate communication, and the emotional stability of the other caregiver emerged as potentially important protective resources. Taken together, the quantitative and qualitative findings provided support for all three research hypotheses, with the strongest quantitative evidence relating to adaptation and anxiety, while the role of family communication and support was primarily informed by qualitative findings.
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Język Polski
English