Policing Stress

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the mental and physical affects of stress on the body and why stress is an important issue to address. The paper focuses on the individual stressors that plague law enforcers and discusses the long term health effects on policemen and women. The paper then looks at possible solutions to stress in employees of law enforcement.

From the Paper:

"Stress - what is it and why is it important to address? Stress is a response to demands placed on an individual that surpass the individual's ability to cope or handle those demands. It is a perceptual comparison however so each viewpoint of stress varies from person to person. Every individual evaluates the pressures placed upon them from the demands in their work and personal lives and when this pressure is too much for their perceived ability to cope, we see the stress response. According to psychologist Richard Lazarus, "Stress arises when individuals perceive that they cannot adequately cope with the demands being made on them or with threats to their well-being (Lazarus, R.S. " Psychological stress and the coping process." New York: Mgraw-Hill). The imbalance between these demands and the ability to cope with them brings forth a psychological, physical and behavioral response that over a prolonged period can result in poor-health issues and even death in some cases. Stressors are conditions or stimulus that cause a stress response in individuals. We can find these stimulus in every facet of our lives whether it be financial, personal or in the workplace. Some occupations carry with them a heavy burden of stress caused by a myriad of stressors, making them difficult to manage and problematic on many levels. One of the top three occupations in this category is law enforcement."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Borum, R. & Philpot, C. (1993) Therapy with Law Enforcement Couples: Clinical Management of the "high-risk lifestyle." American Journal Of Family Therapy, 21, 122-135.
• Constant, Ronald T. Police Stress: Indicators. 11/20/08. <http://www.realpolice.net/police-stress-indicators.shtml>
• Kroes, William M., Hurrell, Joesph J., and Margolis, Bruce, "Job Stress in Police Administrators," Journal of Police Science and Administration, vol.2, No.4 (1974): p381-387
• Lazarus, R.S. " Psychological stress and the coping process." New York: Mgraw-Hill).
• McCafferty, R.L., McCafferty, E. & McCafferty, M.A. (1992). Stress and suicide in police officers: Paradigms of occupational stress. Southern Medical Journal, 85, 233.

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