WHEN FEELING FADE: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF EMPATHY BETWEEN EMOTIONAL DESENSITIZATION AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS IN POLICE OFFICERS

Abstract

Police officers are repeatedly exposed to violence and traumatic events, which may lead to emotional desensitization, lessen empathy, and strained interpersonal relationships. The intent of this study is to examine the relationship in emotional desensitization to violence, empathy, and interpersonal relationships of police officers and additionally investigate the mediating role of empathy. The study utilized a correlational research design, and a purposive sample of police officers (N=120) was recruited from different police stations in Lahore, Pakistan. Emotional Desensitization to Violence Scale, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), and the Functional Idiographic Assessment Template Questionnaire-Short Form (FIAT-Q-SF) were used to assess study variables. Pearson moment correlations and mediation analyses using PROCESS MACRO were applied for analysis. Results showed that emotional desensitization to violence was negatively correlated with interpersonal relationships, intimacy, connection, and emotional experience, also predicting reduced empathic concern. Empathic concern significantly mediated the relationships between emotional desensitization to violence and interpersonal outcomes, which personal distress did not mediate this relationship. Findings of this study highlight the psychological impact of repeated exposure to violence and fostering the interventions related to empathy may protect against interpersonal difficulties. The research would be beneficial for organizational and clinical settings to target empathy training and mental health interventions for enhancing officer well-being and community relations.