Factors Influencing Successful Coping among Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Personnel: Recruiting for Resilience – A Mixed Methods Study

Successful coping is important for staff well-being, retention and reducing absenteeism, especially for those employed in high emotional labour jobs such as crime scene investigation (CSI). Antecedents of successful coping can include self-efficacy, locus of control, optimism, resilience, and self-esteem. However, a dearth of literature exists attaining to the importance of emotion-regulation and mindfulness for successful coping in these roles, despite evidence revealing that both are conducive to better well-being. Additionally, few studies with CSI personnel have employed a mixed methods approach, which enables exploration of lived experiences in addition to survey analysis. Here, we recruited 84 CSI employees and 88 students undertaking a degree enabling employment within CSI, to comprehensively explore factors predicting successful coping. 75 CSI employees and 88 students took part in the quantitative aspect, where questionnaire data pertaining to the above well-being factors, as well as depression, anxiety and stress, were collected. In the concurrent qualitative aspect of the project, nine officers employed in CSI roles were recruited. Semi-structured interviews more deeply explored experiences of resilience and coping, including how the CSI personnel managed their occupation. Quantitative analyses revealed that, for CSI personnel, the greatest predictors of successful coping were resilience and emotional regulation. Compared to students, CSI personnel further reported greater self-esteem, optimism, coping self-efficacy, mindfulness and resilience; and fewer difficulties in emotion regulation, depression, anxiety and stress. Inductive qualitative analyses also revealed resilience and emotion regulation to be key coping factors; but additionally, that finding meaning in work/collegiate support enabled successful coping. Potential implications of findings are discussed and include pre-employment screening for emotion regulation and resilience, and inclusion of such in CSI training/CPD curricula.