The Role Of Occupational Stress And The Stress - 1294 Words

Abstract Research as well as public perception has determined that police work is one the most stressful professions in the United States. This work will explore the influences of such occupational stress and the stress felt by the officer’s family members. Furthermore, this paper will attempt to address the question if there are significant differences due to gender. In other words, is there a different stress level felt when you are husband or wife of a First Responder. Finally, this work will identify some coping mechanism for the family in order to minimize such stress levels. Keywords: Stress, First Responder, Coping Stress Experience by a First Responder s Family Scholars have identified different patterns of stress among†¦show more content†¦Collectively, first responders should have a strong support group in order to manage work related stress; however, more often than not the family is often neglected in this area. The family also experience pressure and stress as they attempt to cope with the officer and their duties. As a result many families deal with the fear and trauma behind closed doors. Police officers work hand in hand with a sense of danger or uncertainty about their personal safety as proceed to respond to each call. The need to reduce such pressure produces a powerful justification for developing and maintaining a police culture. A police culture is often referred to a protective wall that allows officer to be emotionally guarded while they suppress their feeling under a great deal of stress (Woody, 2006). Additionally, there is a great deal of public suspicion about law enforcement authority and behavior. Consequently, the police officer is prone to feel isolated from others, including his family. Such response can have devastating and lasting effects on the family support. Evidence suggests that emergency workers are among the subculture with the one of the highest divorce rates. Furthermore, this profession also reports that they are among those with multiple marriages (Regehr, 2012). Therefore, making the family nucleus a very fragile dynamic which requires constant vigilance. The family nucleus should not be ignored by the first responder because they are