Abstract
The role of stress in high divorce rates and suicides among law enforcers has been demonstrated by research. The most common causes of stress for law enforcement include; work conditions, poor relationships with family and the community, poor conflict resolution mechanisms, shift work, rigid behavior patterns, perfectionism, and trauma from critical situations. This conditions result in heightened stress which leads to high divorce rates and suicide.
This article proposes various means through which the stress levels of law enforcement officers can be significantly reduced. The methods include; implementing of alternative strategies of work redesign and organizational changes, Use of programs that encourage coping behavior, critical incident follow ups and support, and removing stigma that is associated with seeking psychological help. By following the proposed solutions, law enforcement personnel can experience reduced stress leading to their emotional well being. This will result in lower divorce and suicide rates among the officers.
Introduction
Stress which is a response to some external or internal condition is a reality to all human beings and is a part of all occupations. Gulle et al. (1998) reveal that law enforcement entails some of the highest levels of occupational stress. Stress by police officers results in negative emotional outcomes such as high divorce rates and suicidal tendencies. Considering the important role that law enforcers play in society, there has been need for research to be conducted regarding stress in law enforcement.
This can enable preventive measures to be taken to reduce the negative effects of stress that face many officers. Bearing in mind that stress in law enforcement results in a high degree of divorce and suicide, this paper shall set out to identify the factors that result in stress by law enforcers. The paper shall then propose ways in which the stress and by extension the negative effects it brings, can be mitigated.
Causes of Stress
The work conditions that an officer is subjected to have a huge bearing on the amount of stress. In particular, excessive paper-work and insufficiently manpower are stressors of high intensity for law enforcement officers. Research carried out by Gulle et al. (1998) found that the major stressors for law enforces included; poor equipment, fellow officers not doing their jobs and court leniency with criminals. These findings are corroborated by Biggam et al. (1997) who states that while police work inherently introduces likelihoods of traumatic stress, the most salient stressors are within the law enforcement organization itself.
Poor relationships between the police force and the community result in stress to individual officers. The police role identity greatly affects the relationship between the police officer and the society which they serve. Violanti (2007) reveals that police work results in officers perceiving an uneasy relationship between society and themselves; society is everyone not in the force and they are the enemy while the police are the protectors of justice. As a result of this perception, police purposely isolate themselves from society. The officers are therefore isolated from the community social support structure that is available to other members of the society.
Law enforces handle unique stresses that result in increased stress. Dantzker (2005) states that while many occupations share similar stressors such as shift work and poor equipment; there are stressors that are unique to police work. This includes the responsibility to respond to unpredictable situation and sporadic periods of work which range from stints of inactiveness to extremely stressful work periods. In addition to this police officers are forced to make life and death decisions instantaneously and use force in the line of duty.
The structure of typical police organizations results in exertion of extra strain on the officers with negative psychological effects. The police organization restricts officers to specific work roles and impersonal work relationships. Police officers are trained to use a distinctive behavior pattern in problem resolution during their work experiences. Violanti (2007) asserts that this mode of dichotomized decision making where the situation is either right or wrong results in the lack of a middle ground.
This mode of thinking, while effective in the officer’s profession where objectivity is desirable, may have adverse effects on their personal life. This is because when there are problems in the officer’s personal life, the model of decision making will result in a rigid approach where there is either a right or wrong. Compromises cannot be reached and effective conflict resolution is therefore inhibited.
Irregular Work Hours have a negative impact on the officer since they result in strained family relations which results in stress. Shift work means that officers are forced to work their shift regardless of holidays or other special occasions. This pressures the family of the officers since they may fail to understand why their spouse is not home. Such questioning may result to feelings that the officer is placing their job ahead of the family.
Stress also results from the change in environment when the officer goes home and has to play other roles such as; father, spouse or friend. The officer feels uneasy and may find it hard adjusting to this low excitement scenarios. It is theorized that people exposed to highly stressful jobs may become addicted to such exposures (Violanti, 2007; Van der Kolk, 1987). The increased physiological arousal that comes about from being exposed to dangerous and exciting events results in the individual finding normal life boring. In addition to this, officers are constantly forced to behave in a manner that is consistent with the police role and these results in rigid behavior patterns that decrease the efficiency of officers in playing other roles.
There is an established relationship between perfectionism and elevated stress levels in an individual. Law enforcement as a system demands perfectionism from its officers. Law enforcement training fosters competition amongst the candidates and this only serves to reinforce perfectionism especially amongst the winners who are idealized as “rising stars”. Slosar (1999, p.5) reveals that the particular perfectionism components include “unrealistic high standards, unrealistic high expectations of self and from others, and fear of making mistakes “. Socially prescribed perfectionism which involves high and unrealistic standards being set for the officer by the general public is a common phenomenon in law enforcement work. Also, some officers succumb to stress as a result of their perfectionism nature which makes them predisposed to severe self-criticism.
The very nature of law enforcement results in officers being forced into stressful situations such as gruesome murders or tragic accidents. Most of the officers appear to be able to handle this stress and continue their work without being haunted by the horrid images. Sanford (2003) reveals that many officers however find themselves replaying the memories and this affects them negatively. This results in Psychological Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among the police officers.
PTSD is defined as an anxiety disorder that inflicts someone after they have experienced traumatic events and they cannot or cannot get over the events after a month since the incident happened. Research indicates that victims of PTSD who go without treatment face “possible permanent disability, medical and legal expense, increase sick leave, lost productivity and intense psychological distress (Sanford, 2003, p.9).
Mitigating Stress
Research indicates that problems with interpersonal relationships significantly increase the potential for suicide by the police officer. Interpersonal relationships are the social associations by the officers outside the work setting. Research by Jacobson and Portuges revealed that “suicide potential significantly increased in persons undergoing marital separation or divorce” (Violanti, 2007, p.20). From these revelations, it is obvious that preventing police officers from becoming stressed or reducing their stress levels to manageable levels is the best way to deal with the problem of high divorce rates and suicides.
Organizational factors such as bureaucracy and overworking can be damaging to the well-being of policemen and cause considerable stress. Deschamps et al. (2003) suggest that alternative strategies of work redesign and organizational changes be implemented to overcome stress these stresses. Reduction in the amount of paperwork that officers have to deal with and equipping the officers better can alleviate stress levels greatly. With low stress levels, the officer’s personal life will not suffer and hence divorce rates will be reduced significantly.
Helping officers to cope with stress is an important step in stress mitigation. Coping behavior which is defined by Meyer (2003) as “both overt and covert behaviors that reduce or eliminate psychological distress or stressful conditions” is an important aspect of the stress process. Research indicates that effective coping greatly benefits the individual and reduces suicide ideation and divorce. Effective coping can be achieved through counseling and supportive services which can be offered by a qualified counselor.
Introduction of programs that offer education and support necessary to prepare officers for handling stressful events when they occur presents a good means for dealing with stress. These supportive programs enable officers to identify stressors and take appropriate action. Sanford (2003) notes that while many law enforcement agencies have in-house psychologist, chaplains and a myriad of employee assistance programs, the services are only used when the damage has already been done. Proactive measures need to be taken up to ensure the emotional well being of officers and hence lower divorce and suicide rates.
Taking measures to remove the stigma associated with seeking psychological help can assist reduce stress. Marzuk (2002) reveals that while various police union sponsored counseling programs aim at assisting officers’ dealing with stress and depression, there still exist barriers for officers seeking psychiatric care. Officers worry that seeking counseling may result in job sanctions, reassignments or even missed promotion opportunities. By demonstrating to officers that counseling will not negatively impact their opportunities, more officers will be willing to make use of the services.
Law enforcement officers are exposed to high uncertainty as well as incidents that may lead to PTSD. Sanford (2003) proposes the establishment of comprehensive policies for debriefing after critical situations have occurred. This is a proactive approach that will assist in the earlier identification of stress by officers. In instances of PTSD, research indicates that PTSD follows up for the officer after the traumatic event has occurred significantly reduces the probability of an officer developing PTSD. Pro-active training in stress management and potential stressful events that may be faced results in decreased uncertainty.
Conclusion
This paper set out to identify the causes of stress in law enforcement and how they may be mitigated. To this end, the paper has highlighted work conditions such as staff shortages and irregular work hours as the major causes of stress to the officers.
The high pressure imposed on officers to perform excellent services as well as increased workloads further elevate stress levels. The paper has proceeded to note that the best means of dealing with stress is adjusting the work environment and introducing programs for identifying and managing stress at an early stage. By implementing these measures, the stress levels among law enforcers can be mitigated. This will result in reduction in divorce rates as well as the suicide epidemic that currently afflicts law enforcers.
References
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