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What are some of the causes and effects of police stress
What are some of the causes and effects of police stress
What are some of the causes and effects of police stress
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If you ever ask a child what he wants to be when he grows up, a possible answer will be a policeman. To kids it looks like an exciting job. They get to wear cool uniforms and drive cars with flashing lights. They also get to have a gun and handcuffs. They are able to give out parking tickets and put people in jail. They are intimidating and people fear them. It looks like a glorifying job. Kids look up to it and think of all the power they could have if they would become a policeman. They don’t think about all the scary and stressful components of being a policeman. Being a policeman or any part of the law enforcement involves much more than flying down the freeway and writing out speeding tickets. There are many dangerous aspects to it. Situations can arise that are extremely risky: car accidents, shooting incidents and life-threatening conditions. In reality, these occupations consist of many hardships and stressful components that can affect one’s physical and psychological wellbeing (Rivers, 1993). In a normal environment, being a policeman looks like a pretty simple job. Nothing dramatic seems to happen so the cops don’t look too busy. But actually, cops are often exposed to traumatic incidences, which are many times life-threatening. Consequently, they may experience some reactions due to the disturbing events (Rivers, 1993). According to Rivers (1993), recent studies show that around eighty-five percent of emergency personnel that were “involved in traumatic incidents have experienced traumatic stress reactions at some time.” These reactions don’t necessarily last for a long time, but sometimes they can go on for months (Rivers, 1993). Most occupations though, don’t result in traumatic stress reactions. All of a sudden, b... ... middle of paper ... ...th executions. Psychiatry, 65(4), 358-371. Retrieved from http://www.touro.edu/library/commerdb/proxyTC.asp?http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=279171201&sid=10&Fmt=4&clientId=14844&RQT=309&VName=PQD Perrin, M. A., DiGrande, L., Wheeler, K., Thorpe, L., Farfel, M., & Brackbill, R. (2007, September). Differences in PTSD prevalence and associated risk factors among world trade center disaster rescue and recovery workers. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 164(9). Retrieved from http://www.touro.edu/library/commerdb/proxyTC.asp?http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1329950051&sid=10&Fmt=4&clientId=14844&RQT=309&VName=PQD Rivers, K. (1993). Traumatic stress: An occupational hazard. Employee Counseling Today, 5(1), 4-6. Retrieved from http://www.touro.edu/library/commerdb/proxyTC.asp?http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1072590&sid=5&Fmt=3&clientId=14844&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition, similar to an anxiety disorder, that is triggered by trauma and other extremely stressful circumstances. Throughout the book, Junger talks about PTSD in a wide range:from PTSD rates in natural disaster victims to PTSD rates in veterans. The latter is explained on a deeper perspective. While Junger gave many examples of why PTSD rates in America were so high, the most captivating was:
Boone, Katherine. "The Paradox of PTSD." Wilson Quarterly. 35.4 (2011): 18-22. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
When political anarchy, social injustices, and crime end up leading to civil depravities that go against the foundation of democracy, society depends on the police to come in and keep the peace, while attempting to restore the order. These officers are asked to pursue criminals in vehicles, and on foot, repeatedly expose themselves to the dangers of the crimes, and remain calm while being under pressure at all moments on the job, and even off duty. Being an officer of the law takes a special person
“Studies show that PTSD occurs in 1%-14% of the population. It can be diagnosed at any age, and can occ...
The investigators sought out potential subjects through referrals from psychiatric hospitals, counseling centers, and psychotherapists. All potential subjects were screened with a scripted interview and if they met all the inclusion criteria they met with an investigator who administered the Clinical-Administered PTSD Scale(CAPS) to provide an accurate diagnosis. In the end the study ended up with 12 subject, 10 females and 2 males with a mean age of 41.4, that met the criteria for PTSD with treatment resistant symptoms, which were shown with a CAPS score of greater than or equal to 50.
The article under review is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the DSM-5: Controversy, Change, and Conceptual Considerations by Anushka Pai, Alina M. Suris, and Carol S. North in Behavioral Sciences. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault (U.S. Department VA, 2007). PTSD can happen to anyone and many factors can increase the possibility of developing PTSD that are not under the person’s own control. Symptoms of PTSD usually will start soon after the traumatic event but may not appear for months or years later. There are four types of symptoms of PTSD but may show in different
...., Ompad, D. C., Menke, A., Tynes, L. L., & Muntner, P. (2007). Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in a New Orleans workforce following Hurricane Katrina. Journal of Urban Health, 84(2), 142-152.
Working in corrections has been associated with higher stress rates due to the unpredictable nature of the field (Parker, 2006). Correctional officers are forced into dangerous situations without adequate protection as a result of the prison environment, which can further lead to physi...
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is defined by our book, Abnormal Psychology, as “an extreme response to a severe stressor, including increased anxiety, avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma, and symptoms of increased arousal.” In the diagnosis of PTSD, a person must have experienced an serious trauma; including “actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violation.” In the DSM-5, symptoms for PTSD are grouped in four categories. First being intrusively reexperiencing the traumatic event. The person may have recurring memories of the event and may be intensely upset by reminders of the event. Secondly, avoidance of stimuli associated with the event, either internally or externally. Third, signs of mood and cognitive change after the trauma. This includes blaming the self or others for the event and feeling detached from others. The last category is symptoms of increased arousal and reactivity. The person may experience self-destructive behavior and sleep disturbance. The person must have 1 symptom from the first category, 1 from the second, at least 2 from the third, and at least 2 from the fourth. The symptoms began or worsened after the trauma(s) and continued for at least one
the psychological health of police, fire, and ambulance officers.” International Journal of Stress Management, Vol. 11, pp. 227-44.
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
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.
It is a myth to believe that an officers job is spend fighting dangerous crimes, in reality officers spend more time handing smaller cases. For example, police officers spend a lot of time doing daily tasks such as giving speeding tickets and being mediators in disputes (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). Handing out speeding tickers and handling minor disputes are far from fighting crime. Police officers spend more time doing preventive measures (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). Preventive measures involve officers intervening to prevent further altercations. Victor Kappeler and Gary Potter discussed the myth of crime fighting as invalid and misleading notions of an officer’s employment.
Everyday law enforcement personal have the possibility to face dangerous events in their daily duties. In performing such duties a police officer could come by a seemingly ordinary task, and in a blink of an eye the event can turn threatening and possible deadly. When or if this happens to an officer they won’t have
Thomas Miller, Assessment of Life Stress Events: the Etiology and Measurement of Traumatic Stress Disorder