Purpose

Knowledge about the prevalence and impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) is pivotal to trauma-informed approaches, yet the impact of ACEs training is rarely investigated. This study reports a qualitative investigation of police perceptions of ACEs training in relation to conceptualisations of ACEs and trauma-informed working, practical applications of ACE knowledge and service-level support.

Design/methodology/approach

Four focus groups were conducted with 29 police officers, who had participated in an ACEs-awareness training. Based on the qualitative data, themes were generated using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2019).

Findings

Analysis generated seven themes, conceptualised into three domains of conceptual understanding, police culture and operationalising ACEs.

Research limitations/implications

The sample is limited to Scottish police officers and is ethnically non-diverse. Further evaluation of higher quality interventions is warranted.

Practical implications

The study highlighted that a lack of conceptual framework, officer concerns and police culture may present barriers to officers incorporating ACEs knowledge into their day-to-day work. Future trainings should address these issues to achieve maximum benefits.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first in-depth qualitative study of police officers' perceptions of ACEs training. Focus groups facilitated the expression of cultural norms. The results provide insight into tailoring trauma-informed interventions in police in future, as well as raising broader service-level issues.

中文翻译：

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警察如何概念化和看待不良童年经历（ACE）与警务的相关性：定性调查

目的

关于不良童年经历 (ACE) 的普遍性和影响的知识对于创伤知情方法至关重要，但 ACE 培训的影响很少被研究。本研究报告了警方对 ACE 培训的看法的定性调查，涉及 ACE 和创伤知情工作的概念、ACE 知识的实际应用和服务水平支持。

设计/方法论/途径

29 名参加过 ACE 意识培训的警官参加了四个焦点小组。根据定性数据，使用反思性主题分析生成主题（Braun 和 Clarke，2019）。

发现

分析产生了七个主题，概念化为概念理解、警察文化和实施 ACE 三个领域。

研究局限性/影响

样本仅限于苏格兰警察，并且在种族上不存在多样性。有必要进一步评估更高质量的干预措施。

实际影响

该研究强调，缺乏概念框架、警官关注点和警察文化可能会给警官将 ACE 知识纳入日常工作带来障碍。未来的培训应解决这些问题以实现最大效益。

原创性/价值

据作者所知，这是首次针对警官对 ACE 培训的看法进行深入的定性研究。焦点小组促进了文化规范的表达。研究结果为未来警察制定创伤知情干预措施以及提出更广泛的服务水平问题提供了见解。