Law enforcers experience a lot of stress in their line of duty despite acting like tough guys. This is because of the environment in which they work in, lack of reward or motivation, pressure at work, working with incorporate partners and poor relationship with supervisors (Ermasova et al, 2020). For example, a police officer arriving at a murder case scene is one way they can develop stress. Corrections officers also face stress in their work place because of violent threats from in mates and in some cases, actual physical violence from the inmates. Additionally, they always work overtime with double shifts most of the time due to understaffing. Double shifts and working overtime have proved to affect the officers physically, psychologically and emotionally, leading them to take different actions so as to cope with the stress.
The physical effects of stress in law enforcement include health diseases like heart problems, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, brain cancer and digestion problem. Psychological effects include insomnia. These are sometimes accrued because of fatigue from working overtime, longer and double shifts. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is also a psychological effect caused by stress. This happens when an officer is involved in a traumatic incident like death of a child or a burnt body in a fire outrage. Additionally, stress causes law enforcers to develop emotional detachment from other aspects of life. According to (Stogner et al, 2020), stress leads to anxiety, depression and alcoholism. This is because of the pressure in their line of work, feelings of discrimination, loneliness, unsafe and sometimes family issues especially for female officers who have family responsibilities at home. Many officers are alcoholics and drug addicts because they think it helps them deal with stress and escape the traumatic incidents stuck in their mind. Others become physically and verbally violent. Also, stress attacks body organs and compromises with the immune system which leads the body to be physiologically unbalanced. Lastly, due to stress, depressed officers always opt for suicide as the only way to end their suffering (Stogner et al, 2020).
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Visualization helps reduce stress. Visualization involves using the mind to imagine a desired mental image. Visualization balances the body and the mind. This technique can be used by officers to reduce the effects of stress. They can have sessions of guided visualization where they will listen to directions spoken by a person on an audiotape, a recorded CD or a coach in person. Direct focus on the imaginary story calms, relaxes and makes the mind more peaceful. The guided images reduce the effects of stress by lowering blood pressure, reducing anxiety and depression, headaches and also strengthens the body and the immune system functioning. It also helps reduce suicidal thoughts and facilitates healing which in this case, the officer will avoid the use of drugs and alcohol in dealing with stress.
Gilmartin states that many officers are losing “the battle of emotional survival.” What he meant was that many officers are opting for suicide after experiencing stress in their line of duty. According to (Sheared, 2020), to help officers win this battle, suicide prevention programs can be used to promote mental health of the officers and help them manage traumatic incidents and suicidal thoughts. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors can be treated using evidence-based treatments and interventions. Additionally, improving law enforcement policies and procedures will help reduce the rate of suicide among officers. This can be done by employing more officers so as to prevent others from working overtime with double shifts and reducing pressure and supervision at work places. Also, the system of reward for a job well done should be incorporated in law enforcement. This will motivate the officers in their line of duty because they will feel appreciated. Lastly, family support and friends will also help reduce suicide cases among officers. The law enforcement should consider officers’ schedules to ensure they have time for their families and friends. Officers should also have a survival mindset. To have a successful mindset means, they should have characteristics like not giving up, having an unexpected mindset, accepting their work and working with given instructions and controlling their minds to adjust to given situations.
In summary, the psychological, physiological and emotional effects of stress include heart diseases, compromised immune performance in the body, depression, alcoholism, brain cancer, PTSD, diabetes, emotional detachment from other aspects of life and suicide. Using guided images in visualization can help reduce these effects. Suicide rates can also be reduced through suicide prevention programs for the officers, improving law enforcement policies and procedures, engaging with family and friends and officers developing a survival mindset.
References
Ermasova, N., Cross, A. D., & Ermasova, E. (2020). Perceived Stress and Coping Among Law Enforcement Officers: an Empirical Analysis of Patrol Versus Non-patrol Officers in Illinois, USA. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 1-16.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11896-019-09356-z
Stogner, J., Miller, B. L., & McLean, K. (2020). Police stress, mental health, and resiliency during the COVID-19 pandemic. American journal of criminal justice, 45(4), 718-730. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12103-020-09548-y
Sheard, B. M. (2020). Stress and Coping Methods in Law Enforcement Personnel. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/8983/
