Law Enforcement Help-Seeking Behaviors and Organizational Mental Health Supports
College of Psychology and Community Services, Walden University
How they used Delve
A doctoral candidate at Walden University used Delve to work Giorgi's descriptive phenomenological method through six law enforcement officer interviews — marking meaning units at topic shifts, coding the psychologically transformed statements into 16 codes, and keeping a systematic record of coding activity for the audit trail.
“To assist with data analysis and management, I used the Delve Qualitative Analysis Tool. Delve provided an organized and secure platform for storing, preliminary coding of transcriptions, and preparing data for the detailed phenomenological process. [...] In Delve, I coded the psychologically transformed statements, generating 16 codes that captured the participants' experiences.”
- Field
- Police psychology / occupational mental health
- Data
- Six Zoom interviews with current law enforcement officers about help-seeking behaviour and the mental health supports their organizations offer
- Approach
- Giorgi's descriptive phenomenological method worked step by step in the software: meaning units marked at topic shifts in each account, then psychologically transformed statements coded to produce 16 codes, then the essential structure of the experience articulated
- Data types
- Interviews
Abstract
Due to the traumatic and repetitive nature of law enforcement work, mental health support is often needed by officers, but is not consistently sought. Law enforcement leaders need to understand this concern as a leading indicator of workforce well-being, organizational effectiveness, and officers’ willingness to seek needed mental health support. Guided by the conceptual framework of Rickwood and Thomas’s help-seeking behaviors, the purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore law enforcement officers’ lived experiences of help-seeking behaviors for emotional and mental health issues. Data were collected through six semistructured interviews with current law enforcement officers in four different U.S. agencies. Four primary themes emerged from the thematic analysis: (a) organizational support and comprehensive training for mental health, (b) essential access to mental health services and desired programming, (c) strengthening support systems, and (d) navigating stigma and increasing awareness of mental health needs. Findings indicated that while officers recognize the importance of mental health support, barriers, such as stigma, concerns about confidentiality, and limited organizational resources, deter help-seeking behaviors. Officers emphasized the need for accessible services, increased leadership training and support, and family-focused training. The results contribute to a deeper understanding of how organizational culture influences help-seeking behaviors among law enforcement. Implications for tangible social impact include the potential for law enforcement leaders to develop more accessible, desirable, and culturally responsive mental health programs and policies that support officer well-being and enhance organizational effectiveness.
Citation
Jordan Elizabeth Longendorf (2026). Law Enforcement Help-Seeking Behaviors and Organizational Mental Health Supports. ScholarWorks (Walden University).