NCJ Number
168113
Editor(s)
J T Reese,
E Scrivner,
C J Lent
Date Published
1994
Length
425 pages
Annotation
This book addresses unique influences on law enforcement families and emphasizes the effect of these influences on family functioning and how they contribute to family dysfunction.
Abstract
Contributors to the book are experienced mental health professionals who have actually dealt with law enforcement families and have gained substantial insights on defining family problems and what needs to be done about them. The first three sections of the book cover: (1) law enforcement's impact on families--impact of police work on spouses and families, cultural hurdles to healthy families, police stress in the 1990s and its impact on families, police spouse/mate relationships, and dual career families in law enforcement; (2) family problems--alcohol and chemical dependency, marital status and attitudes about divorce, and suicide; and (3) factors unique to law enforcement and their effect on families--undercover duty, violence, and shift work. The remaining four sections consider: (1) trauma in families--loss of a spouse or a parent, critical incident stress, peer support, post-traumatic stress disorder, post-shooting trauma, domestic violence, disasters, and duty-related deaths; (2) organizational culture--sexual harassment and organizational behavior; (3) counseling and prevention for police couples and families; and (4) professional issues--compassion fatigue among law enforcement therapists, the chaplain's role, and the risk for unethical practices when working with families. References, tables, and figures