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Causes of stress in the police
Causes of stress in the police
Causes of stress in the police
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INTRODUCTION
This research proposal is written to apply for endorsement to examine the interrelationship between police officers and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The goal of this research is to determine how the stress of law enforcement may cause PTSD amongst police officers. This research will also analyze the effects that PTSD has on the individual’s personal and professional life and the people associated with those officers.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that develops after facing or experiencing a horrific event. To protect the public, law enforcement officers must be psychologically competent to fulfill the obligations of the position. This research is significant because there are officers with
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However, there are rarely any programs that help officers handle the stress of working in law enforcement. By all means, programs for officers suffering with PTSD should be put into speculation. This research will raise awareness of preventable, yet an incurable disorder among police officers. The public has an understanding of the post-traumatic stress disorder involving military personnel, but at the same time, civilian employees are developing the disorder as …show more content…
Work-related factors and demographic factors will be assessed and in addition, determine what police officers are experiencing or experienced post-traumatic stress disorder. If so, did their agency accommodate them by providing stress management training and was it beneficial. To collect accurate data, a survey/questionnaire will be given out to six different police departments in each county in Maryland. Critical incidents with law enforcement agency’s employees have to be recognized to get a true understanding of the issue and how to fix the issue. As a researcher, adequate results will be presented and it will help fulfill the purpose of this
Gilmartin, K. M. Emotional survival for law enforcement, a guide for officers and their families. 1st ed. Arizona: E-S Press, 2002.
Police Psychology: A New Specialty and New Challenges for Men and Women in Blue. Thomas, David J. 2011.
As a police officer there are a lot of social psychological factors that come into play every day. You must constantly be helping people, not discriminating, unbiased in every way, and of course keeping an open mind at all times. All of the theories presented here should be taught to police officers, while they are in training, to help them to be able to handle these situations if any arise.
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,
Some of the world’s most-loved and well-known superheroes include Superman, Batman, and Spiderman. However great these superheroes may appear, their fictional stories also include stressors that they face everyday, such as the villains that they encounter and the pressure of being a hero and an everyday citizen. In this way, stress often negatively impacts the lives of the ones who watch over every neighborhood, every street, and every house. Such is the job of a police officer. Because stress has become an important topic in the community of law enforcement, things that are commonly discussed are the causes of stress, the effects of stress, and the handling of stress in the lives of police officers.
There are an estimate 623,000 police officers employes in the United States. It haas been argued that police officers are at increased risk for mortality as a result of their occupation. The average age of death for a police officer is 66 years old. (Law Enforcement Wellness Association) The ability to cope with stressful incidents is a personal journey that depends on an officer's past experiences with trauma. Appropriate development of coping strategies for stress is the ability to talk to family, friends, and other officers and to be able to recognize the dangers of ignoring signs and symptoms of post-incident stress. Regardless of an officer's personal experiences with traumatic incidents, avoiding, ignoring, or burying the emotional aftermath of a traumatic event can lead to serious short- and long-term consequences. Many officers believe that substance use and abuse is the best way to cope with their otherwise unbearabl...
It is a common conception that police officers choose their particular career path simply because they are inheriting a family member’s desire. They choose to be an officer because their father or their mother or a relative was an officer. It is a common conception that officers are not chosen they are inherited and expected to be from family. This area of interest is something that would be well suited for that of research and a study. How many police officers performing duties today have had a family member who was also a police officer? We can achieve our results through a survey that will take place the process of doing research and contacting police officers over the internet, over the telephone and doing so by interviewing them.
Miller, L. (2007). Police Families: Stresses, Syndromes, and Solutions. American Journal of Family Therapy, 35(1), 21-40. Retrieved July 22, 2010, from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=23173173&site=ehost-live
Law enforcement is known to be much more stressful compared to the average job. Data shows that police officers ranked fifth on the list of the most stressful jobs in 2010 (Strieber, 2010). From long hours of report writing and documentation to engaging criminals in a high-speed pursuit and gunfire, police officers undergo strenuous duties each day. In the field of law enforcement, there are a variety of sources that cause police stress. Though, there a number of factors that lead to police stress, we can look at three major ones to structure a formidable understanding on this topic. By identifying these sources, law enforcement officers and departments can work collaboratively to uphold a quality workforce and to effectively deal with police stress concerns.
I decided to research the most common psychological issues of police officers and I also asked if being a police officer increases the chances of depression, suicide, alcohol abuse, and marital problems. I have discovered that being in law enforcement can cause many of those psychological issues. The main reasons for these psychological effects are from traumatic events. Depending on where the officer works there can be more psychological issues than in other places. For example officers in big cities as Detroit have many more risks and much more violence than in communities that are more
Do you know that seven to eight percent of Americans’ will experience some form of PTSD at some point in their lives? PTSD is an acronym for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The cause of this anxiety disorder can be onset by a number of horrific traumas including events such as death, war, and even sexual assault. PTSD is a serious illness that requires help for those who suffer from this silent killer. Clearly, this illness is a long lasting consequence of war and other traumas.
In many instances police officers bring the effects of the job homes with them. This form of stress affecting the police officer’s personal life can be seen in the officer overworking and over committing. The officer will bring the job home with him or her and neglect his or her spouse and the kids. This neglect of affection and communication that the officer has towards his/her spouse puts a lot of stress on the family. An officer that has truly been overcome with stress will neglect the family and in many cases start to neglect the other daily tasks of the house. (Miller, 2007) Another way that police stress can affect the officer’s personal life is through infidelity, lies and distrust. Police are generally required to work many of hours in their work week and this unfortunately can lead to infidelity, lies and distrust in the officer’s personal life. When the infidelity, lies and distrust happen in a relationship, this not only affects the relationship and stress of the family but also affects the stress that the officer then takes back in to work.(Miller,
Being a police officer comes with an immense amount of responsibility. Officers play a very important role that encompasses duties concerning the enforcement of laws, keeping order, and preventing crime. Through these obligations officers have to continually interact with the community and are expected to respond to all situations that may arise while on duty. When officers carry out these responsibilities, individuals expect them to have morals, values, and principles when making decisions regarding the enforcement of the laws. The environment is constantly changing which influences the conduct of individuals and how officers will respond to that behavior (Gaines & Kappeler, 2015). Police officers are considered
Policing can be a highly stressful profession due to the implications that are inherent to the emergency service profession. The unpredictability of police work can have a significant impact on the stress level of police over time (Hickman, Fricas, Strom, Pope 2011), which has been shown to foster the ability to reduce one’s psychological well-being for a given period of time (Johnson, Todd and Subramanian 2005). It is often suggested that policing is a stressful profession in itself as police are often exposed to disturbing events through the very nature of their job. Violanti and Aron studied organizational and inherent stressors among police stressors officers. Organizational stressors where those related to the structure of the police
Since the inception of this niche in psychology, there has been a greater appreciation for the use of police psychological services. Now almost every police department has a separate psychology department with a number of psychologists working with its other employees. This specialized subset of psychology delivers a number of services to its employees, from assessing qualified applicants, counseling, to suspect profiling and providing expertise during hostage situations. The field has grown tremendously, especially over the last 40 years and has developed into its own sub-specialty with its own dedicated research, journals and professional organizations. During that time, there have been great strides made in developing this relationship betwe...