Stress in Police Families - Some Policy Implications

• NCJ Number: 86501
• Journal: Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1982) Pages: 302-314
• Author(s): P E Maynard; N E Maynard
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

This study examines officers' and their spouses' perceptions of the occupational demands that place stress upon their families, as well as the means they use to cope with such stress, and policy implications are considered.

Abstract

A Family Impact Analysis was conducted with the negotiated assistance of a large metropolitan police department to determine what policies of that department are related to police family stress. Data were collected from police officers' wives using the Occupational Demands and Family Life Scale and from both officers and their wives, using separate forms of the Inventory Coping Strategies. The most significant stressors were found to be inherent job demands, such as shift rotations, changing schedules, and promotional practices. Unofficial policies of the department, such as urging officers to consider their police career as more important than family, also negatively impacted the family. Pressure to have exclusively police friends and the police officer's image put stress on the family as well. Similar coping strategies were found to be used by both officers and their spouses. Drinking alcohol and trying to exert rigid control over the family were the least helpful coping strategies for the men, and trying to fill the father's role in the family and chemical support were the least helpful coping strategies for the women. The chronic stress of the occupation eroded most of the coping strategies over time. Policy recommendations for reducing the stress on officer families include (1) the removing of politics from police operations to reduce arbitrary transfers and assignments, (2) the use of permanent shift assignments, (3) the use of full-time counselors to work with persons and families under stress, and (4) the establishment of support networks for both officers and their spouses. Tabular data and 17 references are provided.