Abstract
Although the health impact of patients' trust in physicians has been well documented, less is known about the possible health effects of trust in police or paramedics. Homeless people frequently interact with police officers and paramedics, and these experiences may affect their health and future willingness to seek emergency assistance. We examined homeless people's self-reported interactions with police and paramedics in Toronto, Canada, and their level of trust in these emergency service providers. In a sample of 160 shelter users, 61% had interacted with police in the last 12 months, and 37% had interacted with paramedics (P=.0001). The proportion of subjects who expressed willingness to call police in an emergency was significantly lower than those willing to call paramedics in an emergency (69% vs. 92%, P=.0001). On a Likert scale ranging from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 5, trust levels were lower in police than in paramedics (median level 3 vs. 5, P=.0001). Among shelter users, 9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5% to 14%) reported an assault by a police officer in the last year, and 0% (95% CI, 0% to 4%) reported an assault by a paramedic. These findings showed that homeless people have much lower levels of trust in police than paramedics. Reports of negative interactions with police are not uncommon, and homeless people's perceptions of the police may pose a barrier to seeking emergency assistance. Further research is needed for objective characterization of homeless people's interactions with police officers and the potential health implications of low levels of trust in the police.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 596-605 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Journal of Urban Health |
| Volume | 81 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 1 2004 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Emergency medical technicians
- Homeless persons
- Police
- Trust
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Cite this
Homeless people's trust and interactions with police and paramedics. / Zakrison, Tanya; Hamel, Paul A.; Hwang, Stephen W.
In: Journal of Urban Health, Vol. 81, No. 4, 01.12.2004, p. 596-605.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Homeless people's trust and interactions with police and paramedics
AU - Zakrison, Tanya
AU - Hamel, Paul A.
AU - Hwang, Stephen W.
PY - 2004/12/1
Y1 - 2004/12/1
N2 - Although the health impact of patients' trust in physicians has been well documented, less is known about the possible health effects of trust in police or paramedics. Homeless people frequently interact with police officers and paramedics, and these experiences may affect their health and future willingness to seek emergency assistance. We examined homeless people's self-reported interactions with police and paramedics in Toronto, Canada, and their level of trust in these emergency service providers. In a sample of 160 shelter users, 61% had interacted with police in the last 12 months, and 37% had interacted with paramedics (P=.0001). The proportion of subjects who expressed willingness to call police in an emergency was significantly lower than those willing to call paramedics in an emergency (69% vs. 92%, P=.0001). On a Likert scale ranging from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 5, trust levels were lower in police than in paramedics (median level 3 vs. 5, P=.0001). Among shelter users, 9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5% to 14%) reported an assault by a police officer in the last year, and 0% (95% CI, 0% to 4%) reported an assault by a paramedic. These findings showed that homeless people have much lower levels of trust in police than paramedics. Reports of negative interactions with police are not uncommon, and homeless people's perceptions of the police may pose a barrier to seeking emergency assistance. Further research is needed for objective characterization of homeless people's interactions with police officers and the potential health implications of low levels of trust in the police.
AB - Although the health impact of patients' trust in physicians has been well documented, less is known about the possible health effects of trust in police or paramedics. Homeless people frequently interact with police officers and paramedics, and these experiences may affect their health and future willingness to seek emergency assistance. We examined homeless people's self-reported interactions with police and paramedics in Toronto, Canada, and their level of trust in these emergency service providers. In a sample of 160 shelter users, 61% had interacted with police in the last 12 months, and 37% had interacted with paramedics (P=.0001). The proportion of subjects who expressed willingness to call police in an emergency was significantly lower than those willing to call paramedics in an emergency (69% vs. 92%, P=.0001). On a Likert scale ranging from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 5, trust levels were lower in police than in paramedics (median level 3 vs. 5, P=.0001). Among shelter users, 9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5% to 14%) reported an assault by a police officer in the last year, and 0% (95% CI, 0% to 4%) reported an assault by a paramedic. These findings showed that homeless people have much lower levels of trust in police than paramedics. Reports of negative interactions with police are not uncommon, and homeless people's perceptions of the police may pose a barrier to seeking emergency assistance. Further research is needed for objective characterization of homeless people's interactions with police officers and the potential health implications of low levels of trust in the police.
KW - Emergency medical technicians
KW - Homeless persons
KW - Police
KW - Trust
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=7644227901&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=7644227901&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/jurban/jth143
DO - 10.1093/jurban/jth143
M3 - Article
C2 - 15466841
AN - SCOPUS:7644227901
VL - 81
SP - 596
EP - 605
JO - Journal of Urban Health
JF - Journal of Urban Health
SN - 1099-3460
IS - 4
ER -