Open Access

ARTICLE

Operational police members’ empathy during engagements with survivors of trauma: A rural community perspective

Masefako Andronica Gumani^*
Department of Psychology, University of South Africa, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
* Corresponding Author: Masefako Andronica Gumani. Email:

Journal of Psychology in Africa https://doi.org/10.32604/jpa.2025.065776

Received 01 October 2024; Accepted 11 February 2025; Published online 05 December 2025

Abstract

This study explored law enforcement members’ empathetic engagements with primary survivors of trauma. Informants were 15 South African Police Service members from a rural district of the Limpopo (females = 26.6%; constables = 13.3%). Unstructured open-ended and follow-up telephone interviews, field notes, and diaries were used as data-collection methods. Data were analysed following the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis guidelines. Emergent themes indicated that law enforcement members engage in three types of empathy, namely affective, cognitive, and cognitive-affective empathy when called upon to help survivors of trauma. Their affective empathy involved police members’ emotional connection with the survivors. The cognitive empathy entailed an understanding of the survivors’ circumstances and trauma. The cognitive-affective empathy combines elements of cognitive (understanding) and affective (emotional connection) empathy. These findings are significant in informing the nature of police–survivor engagements with traumatic cases for survivor empowerment.

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Keywords

empathy; police operational work; police–survivor engagements; South African Police Service; vicarious trauma; victim empowerment programme

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