THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF POLICE MISCONDUCT ON COLLEGE STUDENTS: A STUDY PROPOSAL

Abstract

Increasingly, police misconduct has come into the awareness of the general population in the United States. Police misconduct is a major public health concern that has a significant impact on individuals and their communities. A well-established body of research suggests there are several impacts on targets of police violence in the United States (US)—especially among marginalized groups. These impacts include: (1) debilitating sadness, (2) hyperarousal/chronic fear of fatal injuries, (3) constant sense of helplessness, and (4) lack of healthy coping mechanisms (Hawkins, 2021). Also, there is a growing body of evidence linking these factors to poor psychosocial outcomes in adult populations, but very few studies have explored these variables in college students. For this reason, we have created a proposed study to begin to fill this gap in the extant literature. Specifically, to examine the impact of University Police misconduct, we propose to survey SUNY Purchase students who are diverse in terms of racial/ethnic background, gender, year in college, and academic standing (i.e., GPA). Based on our hypotheses, we would expect the results to show that exposure to police misconduct is negatively correlated with psychological well-being. We also expect that acute exposure, either directly or indirectly, to police misconduct would be positively correlated with poor academic performance (e.g., missed assignments, classes, and work). This thesis has important implications for college faculty, police officers, and clinicians treating those affected by police misconduct.