Stress and Mental Health Functioning
Women police officers face many stressors. Female officers are more likely to encounter disapproval from fellow officers, and also from friends and family for entering police work. On the other hand, the peers, supervisors, and the public questions female officers’ capability to tackle the emotional and physical rigors of the police work, and this is even when research shows women can do so. As such, the need for female officers to prove themselves to the public and the male officers constitutes some major stressor for women officers. In essence, female police officers do suffer quite more from the stress of their jobs than their male colleagues.
According to the University of Buffalo, one in every four
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women officers assigned to shift, has had to think about suicide. Also, female officers report some greater instances of posttraumatic stress disorder and also symptoms of depression. On the other hand, male officers say almost the same rate of suicidal thoughts as female officers, also, that they show some more symptoms of depression than the general population. Managing stress also amongst the female officers might be difficult when compared with the male officers. Dealing with stress causes the officers more stress, especially in female officers (Dempsey & Forst, 2010). The law enforcement officers contain some greater stressors than the general public, especially concerning cases of suicide.
The law enforcement officers suffer quite more job-associated stress than the people living in the community. Many have had to realize that the nature of the profession itself may be exposing officers to the increased levels of stressors. In essence, job-associated stress is among the major health concerns of the law enforcement community, and this is because it can have some impact on the physical, mental and emotional well-being of the officers. The difference in the stressors between the law enforcement personnel and other individuals is the fact that, the enforcement officials get to interact with the human population that are quite angry, upset or even uncooperative, in which case it takes some toll on …show more content…
persons. Stressors in the police responsibilities can be in various categories. For instance, some stressors are inherent in police work, stressors that arise internally from the department of police practices and policies, internal stressors that confront the individual officers and also the external stresses that stem from the criminal justice system and the society as a whole. Mostly, the stress that police experiences arise from the various features of police responsibilities. The alterations in the body rhythms from monthly shift rotation may result in productivity reduction. The change from the day to some swing or graveyard shift needs biological adjustment, and also, it complicates the personnel’s individual lives. Also, the role conflicts on the job, such as upholding ethical standards, enforcing the law and serving the public, and the personal responsibilities such as a spouse, friends and parents acts at the stressors (Miller, 2006). Some other stressors in the work of police involve the presence of some gun, and this is even off-duty hours, the requirement to have control of emotions even when provoked, and the continual exposure to persons in distress and pain. Also, there is the threat to officers’ safety and health, and also, the boredom that alternates with the requirement for sudden alertness and mobilized energy. Also, police officers encounter the role of protecting the lives of others, including the fragmented nature of police work, and this is with some rare chances to follow cases of conclusion or rather to get the follow-up or feedback information. Some other stressors include women and minority officers. They usually face disapproval from other officers and also family members and friends (Miller, 2006). Some stressors attribute to various problems that involve lack of homogeneity. The law enforcement personnel may not elaborate the homogenous group as thought, but it entails different classifications of personnel that include custody offices, retired staff among others. Such makes meaningful comparisons to be quite difficult. There are also the regional factors. With the general population, stressors among the police personnel can significantly vary across the counties and states. The administrative processes and policies can also add to the stress, and this might be because officers rarely participate in the formulation. What creates anxiety also involves the one-officer patrol vehicles, and can also cause reductions in safety. Sometimes police conduct internal investigation practices, in which case it creates some feeling of observation and sometimes not trusted, even when they are off-duty hours. Also, sometimes the law enforcement officers have the impression that they have some fewer rights than the criminals that they comprehend. Furthermore, instances such as insufficient training, lack of rewards for the excellent job performance and too much paperwork can be stressors and contributes to police stress. Posttraumatic stress disorder is quite prevalent in law enforcement, and high population of police personnel is prone to suffering from the disease. The direct result of police work makes them encounter quite regularly with traumatic events over the course of their entire careers. This is quite right for personnel working in sectors of critical incident stress management. In essence, almost every law enforcement officer experience some form of stress during his or her career. This might be because of pressures or incidents from the past and also the demands and pressures of the future. Therefore, PTSD is quite common in police officers because of the anxiety and the condition that they get after seeing or rather living through the dangerous events (Rogers, 1999). The life-threatening events such as the natural disasters, serious incidents, terrorist incidents or military combats, and also the violent personal assaults such as rape makes the law enforcement officers to experience PTSD.
In fact, most survivors of trauma return to normal given some little time. However, quite some personnel contain stress reactions, which do not go away on their own, or sometimes it gets worse over some time. Police officers that have had to suffer from PTSD often suffer from the flashbacks, nightmares, feeling emotionally numb and also have difficulty in sleeping. Such symptoms can impair on the person’s daily life. The law enforcement officers that suffer from PTSD often show some physical and psychological symptoms. Such symptoms involve depression, cognition and memory problems, substance abuse, and some other mental and physical health concerns. Such a disorder relates to challenges in the family or social life, including the family discord, mental problems, parenting issues and occupational instability (Rogers,
1999). The past life-events such as terrorist incidents, sexual assault, natural disasters may have some impact on the mental health functioning of the law enforcement personnel. It is quite noting that people that experience such events often become upset when they get confronted with the traumatic reminder or even whenever they think about the trauma when trying to perform something else. The other effect is that people who have had traumatic events will stay away mostly from the places that remind them of the trauma, also, to isolating themselves from other people or they feel numb. The other impact involves the fact that, they just feel on guard, startling easily and quite irritable. People who have experienced traumatic life events have unpleasant memories of the event. Such memories keep coming back when such people do not expect them. In some instances, the memories can be triggered by some traumatic reminder, for example, when a combat veteran hears some car backfire, a motor vehicle accident victim drives by a vehicle accident among others. Such memories cause the mental, emotional and physical reactions, and hence, it affects the mental health functioning. Sometimes the memories can be real to the extent that the event is taking place. In addition, people who have had traumatic life events have impacts on some distinctive neurobiological and physiological changes. For instance, PTSD can be associated with some substantial neurobiological alterations in the autonomic and central nervous systems, for example, the brainwave activity, abnormal activation of the amygdala and the reduced volumes of the hippocampus. The amygdala sometimes gets involved in coordinating the body’s fear response. Such are some of the impacts of the traumatic life events. Such events can be treated only by some form of psychotherapy and also pharmacotherapy. There is also the cognitive-behavioral therapy, and this is quite a promising treatment, as it involves "techniques such as exposure therapy, eye movement desensitization", and cognitive restructuring among others (Weiner, 2003, p. 45).
Gilmartin, K. M. Emotional survival for law enforcement, a guide for officers and their families. 1st ed. Arizona: E-S Press, 2002.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), originally associated with combat, has always been around in some shape or form but it was not until 1980 that it was named Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and became an accredited diagnosis (Rothschild). The fact is PTSD is one of many names for an old problem; that war has always had a severe psychological impact on people in immediate and lasting ways. PTSD has a history that is as long and significant as the world’s war history - thousands of years. Although, the diagnosis has not been around for that long, different names and symptoms of PTSD always have been. Some physical symptoms include increased blood pressure, excessive heart rate, rapid breathing, muscle tension, nausea, diarrhea, problems with vision, speech, walking disorders, convulsive vomiting, cardiac palpitations, twitching or spasms, weakness and severe muscular cramps. The individual may also suffer from psychological symptoms, such as violent nightmares, flashbacks, melancholy, disturbed sleep or insomnia, loss of appetite, and anxieties when certain things remind them such as the anniversary date of the event (Peterson, 2009).
PTSD is defined as mental health disorder triggered by a terrifying event (Mayoclinic). This ordeal could be the result of some sort of physical harm or threat to the individual, family members, friends or even strangers. (NIMH) While PTSD is typically associated with someone who has served in the military, it can affect more than just that genre of individuals. It could affect rape victims, victims in a terrorist or natural disaster incident, nurses, doctors, and police and fire personnel and bystanders. PTSD can manifest itself in many forms. The primary signs and symptoms of PTSD include but are not limited to re-experiencing symptoms (flashbacks, bad dreams, frightening thoughts), avoidance of places, situations, or events that may cause those memories to resurface, and hyperarousal symptoms (easily startled, feeling tense or on edge) (NIMH). Other symptoms may include not having positive or loving feelings toward other people, staying away from relationships, may forget about parts of the traumatic event or not be able to talk about them, may think the world is completely dangerous, and no one can be trusted.
Police stress is viewed as a structural problem that is amongst the police culture (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). The argument made is that the working environment causes the stress. Even though a police officers job is not as dangerous officers still determine the danger as a source of stress. Police stress can be split up in to three sources: occupation, job-related and external stress (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). Just the thought of the job gives officers stress. Job-related circumstances such as responding to calls can also create stress. Finally, external sources such as personal stress can all lead to an officer being highly
First, stress in the lives of police officers often result in poor performance from sleep deprivation and panic. Sleep deprivation is one effect that stress can have on officers. The fatigue that stress causes can very literally kill the affected officer. Many times, officers hold anxiety inside them. When they are in bed, they are oftentimes let alone to think, which leads to many “racing thoughts” and “what if’s” (Koeling). Thinking about such things can keep officers awake for hours, leaving them fatigued and sleep-deprived when they report for work the next day. More causes of sleep deprivation are due to stressful, long shifts and odd hours (Casey). As a third-shift security guard for four years, Carl Koeling has had his share of sleep deprivation. In a recent interview, he said that when he stood a sleep-deprived watch, he remembers feeling “lightheaded and woozy” (Koeling). As a psychologist for thirty-eight years, Koeling also knows that fatigue caused by stress can also affect officers’ judgement, balance, and physical health (Koeling). It is vital that these three things be working properly for those in law enforcement, as the work they do often depends on good decision-making, decent balance, and high levels of physical fitness and well-being (Miller “Law Enforcement”). Panic is another effect that stress can have on police officers.
This is one of the most important questions women face in the criminal justice system, especially female patrol police officers. Male are regarded as strong, dominant, and can stand their ground, while females are considered weak, fragile, and their main problem is the physical disadvantage they faced when attacked by someone superior to them. Also do male police officers trust female officers when it comes to their safety. Research done at the LAPD suggests the male police officers do not trust women when it comes to law enforcement. “ I would never trust my life or safety to a female patrol officer- let alone my partner who is a woman.” The stereotypes female police officers face are usually from their male co-workers who think that the job is a man’s job and requires masculinity. In this case, male police officers feel threatened and demeaned because of the fact that a woman can do the same job as them. Other obstacles female police officers face is that because law enforcement is a male dominant job, many thing that female police officers should not seek employment because they are emotional, physically weak, not aggressive enough, naïve, and they do not have the ability to gain respect from society, especially from the male audience. Female police officers usually face internal obstacles when trying to get a job promotion through the ranks. These obstacles include
There are many stereotypes that women in the law enforcement field have to face. In order to recruit more women into policing, law enforcement agencies should attempt to overcome the idea that policing is a "male-oriented profession". This paper will cover parts of the history of women police officers, some views and stereotypes of the female officer, job related issues, life outside of the workforce and job satisfaction.
The responsibility of a police officer is to maintain public order, prevent crime, and to detect crime as well. It is a very stressful job that comes with many pressures and expectations from society. Police officers are often engaged in situations that require them to think critically and fast. They undergo many dangerous obstacles and difficult situations that many of us would fear to handle. In some of these harsh situations police officers tend to use brutal force which can ironically lead to the criminal to becoming the victim. Police brutality is the wanton use of excessive force, usually physical, but also common in forms of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation. There are two main common factors that cause police officers to engage in brutality towards an innocent person or a suspected criminal. An officer can either be taking advantage of their authority or be discriminant against a certain ethnicity/racial profiling. Police brutality is a very controversial topic. Police officers should not
Post-Traumatic stress disorder is a psychiatric disorder that may develop after one has been a victim or witness of a traumatic event (What is PTSD). Men and women who served in the Vietnam War were vulnerable to many acts of violence and death such as guerilla warfare. After being discharged from the Armed Forces, they may experience flashbacks when a trigger brings back a memory or they may also suffer from nightmares or insomnia due to specific rattling experiences (Riley, Julie). Not being able to sleep can have some deteriorating effects on the body which can make life after war very hard to adjust to. The transfer of the Armed Forces back home life can be somewhat of a culture shock. However, anyone can develop PTSD. A person who has been a victim of abuse, an unexpected death/accident, or even a survivor of a natural disaster is at risk of being diagnosed with this disorder (Mental Health America). They may experience some symptoms of; depression, irritability, insomnia, flashbacks, they may complain of headaches or stomach pain, and may become reserved (Riley, Julie). These indicatio...
Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a law enforcement officer? Most people imagine driving fast and running after the “bad guys”. While this is one part of many law enforcement careers, there are many other things that law enforcement officers do in their daily duties. While law enforcement is an exciting career, officers must be able to face dangerous situations daily, be organized, have good writing skills and work well with high stress situations.
Stress is not a permanent or incurable disease. It is one that can be reduced and managed in several different ways, both personally and within the workplace. With any problem, the first step to reaching a solution is identifying key signs or symptoms associated with the issue. Police officers tend to display an array of physical or behavioral changes when they are feeling conflicted or stressed out. A main part of being a good supervisor is noticing even the smallest changes in the actions and behaviors of those that work under their command.
Those types of stress are eustress and distress. Eustress is a positive form of stress while distress is a harmful form of stress. When a police officer gets too much of distress, then that is when this type of stress can start to affect their personal and professional lives. Police officers are notoriously known for having levels of stress due to the effects of the job. On average police officers have one of the highest rates of suicide in the nation, the second highest rate of divorce and are twice as likely to develop an alcohol problem as any other profession. There are several stressors that police have deal with everyday that ultimately affects their personal and professional lives. There are several sources of stress that police deal with. One of those sources is that police officers are constantly exposed to other police officers and civilians that are enduring high levels of stress themselves. In many cases this everyday
Crime is everywhere and it takes a special group or team of people to stop it, or make crime less tempting to do. The main job of police and security officers is to maintain justice, order and peace. In order to keep peace police officers must go through an academy that will prepare them for most situations that they will have to face later on in their career. Some situations require a more intense way to solve a problem such as using force or putting the perpetrator in fear so they will give in to what the police are asking. In some cases the peretrator(s) are too volatile or risky for the basic trained police officer, so the swat team must be used. The swat team unit or “special weapons and tactics” is a higher trained police force. It is a select group of officers that have been through more training and more experience than the average cop. Without the police or security civilians may not feel as safe as they do now when they are walking in the streets or going to a public event. For the people who want to be part of such a unit and are willing to put people before themselves will need to know what it takes to be a police officer.
The job stress consequences in correctional officers revealed that the correctional officer life expectancy is 59 years that is compared for the national average to 75 years. As manifested stress in various physical illnesses includes heart attacks, hypertension and ulcers that found to be higher in comparison to police officers sample. However, in general divorce and alcoholism rates are higher for the officers of correctional than in general for the population. Due to which organizations of correction spend enormous sums annually for liability claims, compensation, and sick leave. Stress among administrators and a correctional officer are often occurred by the rehabilitation and custody conflicting goals, the correctional system’s
“ This workshop is a start to enhancing the capacity of the provincial and national women police officers and to actively promote gender equality men and women police officers.” (United)