Emotion regulation, secondary traumatic stress and psychological health at work among child sexual and physical exploitation police investigators

Purpose This study aims to examine the association between emotion regulation, the psychological health at work (PHW) and secondary traumatic stress (STS) of child sexual and physical exploitation investigators (CSPEIs). Design/methodology/approach A path analysis model was tested with 73 Quebec CSPEIs. The instruments included the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the STS subscale of the professional quality of life scale – 5 (ProQOL) and the questionnaire on workplace psychological distress (WPD) and psychological well-being at work (PWBW). Findings The path analysis model revealed that the DERS explains 31.40% of the variance of the STS, 36.5% of the variance of the WPD and 20.9% of the variance of the PWBW. These results indicate that fewer emotion dysregulation is associated with better PHW. Few studies have examined these links in a population of investigators specialized in child sexual crimes. Originality/value This study therefore offers an innovative contribution to the understanding of psychological health among those working in contexts with a high emotional charge. The results support the importance of implementing emotion regulation training in police environments in order to prevent psychological distress among these workers and to improve their well-being at work. A better understanding of these skills can lead to effective prevention strategies, thereby improving the quality of life of professionals and the safety of society.