Stress in Law Enforcement: Management and Supervisory Response

Introduction

Stress is a common factor among all law enforcement and corrections officers, with more than a quarter of all officers reporting some form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of their occupation (Spinaris, Denhof & Kellaway, 2012). What makes the problem even worse is a general taboo surrounding mental health support: needing help coping with stress is not something officers like to discuss. As Kirschman (2017) reports, "Cops are often reluctant to seek help, fearing it will jeopardize their jobs and/or make them look weak." Overcoming this taboo is just one area that needs to be addressed. Another is providing an effective management response that equips officers with the tools to manage stress before they end up suffering from PTSD. This paper examines how stress negatively impacts officers and their families, what the obstacles to dealing with stress are, and what the supervisory and management response should be to help reduce stress before it becomes a serious problem for law enforcement officers.

Effects of Stress on Officers and Families

Some of the most common effects of stress among police officers include loss of motivation, effort, and performance in their role; difficulty maintaining healthy relationships; and a rise in on-duty violence (Chopko & Schwartz, 2012). Unable to process and manage stress, officers can become overwhelmed by negative thoughts, feelings, and an insistent pressure that is experienced both psychologically and physiologically. If left untreated — and it often is — stress can build to the point of causing severe mental disturbances and disorders. An officer struggling with PTSD will show signs such as "intrusive re-experiencing of the trauma, avoidance of trauma-related stimuli, and alterations in cognition, mood, arousal, and reactivity" (Christova et al., 2015, p. 2695). The longer this disorder goes unaddressed, the more difficult it becomes for the individual to seek help. Often, the person experiencing this level of stress disorder will attempt to self-medicate through drugs or alcohol, only worsening the situation for himself and for his family (Chopko, Palmieri & Adams, 2018).

The police supervisor or administrator plays an important role both in identifying signs of stress in officers and in helping them cope in a positive and healthy manner (Romosiou, Brouzos & Vassilopoulos, 2019). One way supervisors can help is through resiliency and mindfulness training (McCanlies et al., 2017). Resiliency is one of the key characteristics of people who are able to reduce stress on the job (Reivich, Seligman & McBride, 2011). It is even recommended by the U.S. Army in its Master Resilience Training (MRT) program, which teaches leaders how to help soldiers cope with stress more effectively. As General Casey (2011) notes, "the Army is leveraging the science of psychology in order to improve our force's resilience" (p. 1). This same approach can be used by supervisors in law enforcement to help officers be more mindful of their own stress on the job and how to process and manage it in a healthy way.

Resiliency Training

Resiliency has been identified in positive psychology as an expression of character in the face of adversity: it describes a person's ability to bounce back when obstacles arise and to demonstrate grit and determination when difficulties emerge. Individuals who have cultivated resilience are able to cope with stress more meaningfully because they understand it and know how to respond to it. Those who lack resiliency tend to experience depression, anger, and anxiety because they do not have the skills to process their negative feelings constructively (Domhardt, Munzer, Fegert & Goldbeck, 2015). When a person cannot control his own feelings, he may lash out by trying to control others. Resiliency training provides the tools to address negative thoughts and feelings stemming from stress.

MRT teaches individuals to take ownership of their feelings and to be accountable for them. Everyone experiences stress and must deal with it — but it is the way in which people deal with it that separates healthy responses from unhealthy ones. The key aspects of MRT are self-awareness, self-regulation, optimism, mental agility, identifying and using one's character strengths, and establishing connections with others (Reivich et al., 2011).

Self-awareness is first and foremost the most vital component because it allows an officer to understand what he is experiencing and why. An officer affected by stress who is simply reacting without thinking or understanding is more likely to be at risk to himself and others than an officer who reflects on the stress, why it is happening, and what he can do about it. The officer who lacks self-awareness may attempt to self-medicate to cope — and since he is not self-aware, he does not stop to reflect on the meaning or implication of his actions. Everything simply happens without any effort to probe or comprehend at a deeper level. Self-awareness, once achieved, opens the self to the self. One begins to see one's actions and motivations in a clearer light, can step back and assess oneself more objectively, and can take steps to deal with stress before stress takes control of one's life.

Self-regulation is the next step in resiliency training. If self-awareness allows one to see the problems he is encountering on- or off-duty, self-regulation is what enables an officer to take control of the situation. It is analogous to what a child demonstrates when faced with a daunting task at school: the young learner could give up and have a tantrum, or could buckle down, renew his efforts, and fight through the adversity. The virtue of perseverance is especially important here because it allows one to push through resistance (Reivich et al., 2011). Self-regulation means monitoring and controlling one's thoughts and feelings so that they do not overwhelm. When stress arrives — as it inevitably does for all officers — a person who is self-aware and self-regulating will be able to identify the moment stress occurs and take necessary steps to address it. For that person, relief may be as simple as taking a 15-minute break, getting in a workout, or engaging in meditation or a rejuvenating hobby. Every individual is unique, but every individual can engage in self-regulation.

Mental agility is also necessary to developing resilience. Mental agility is the ability to maintain psychological flexibility across different situations. Rigidness of mind often leads to increased stress because rigidity does not allow for changes in circumstances. Rigid mindsets hold a single perspective and see the world narrowly, when the world is in fact complex, diverse, and complicated. Narrow perspectives lead to frustrated understanding, and a frustrated officer is more prone to escalations and conflicts while on duty. Mental agility, by contrast, allows an officer to adapt his thinking to the situation at hand. It can be developed by enhancing cultural competency, social understanding, emotional and social intelligence, and the ability to read a situation and respond positively. Rest is also important to mental agility: a rested mind is more likely to respond with awareness and understanding than one dulled by fatigue. That is why rest is so essential to stress management.

Another important aspect of resiliency training is the ability to identify and use one's character strengths. Some individuals are strong leaders; others are doers, thinkers, managers, motivators, or collaborators. The key to becoming resilient on one's own terms is to understand what one does well and use that to one's advantage. For instance, if an officer is stressed by an encounter in the field and is tempted to escalate a conflict, but recognizes that one of his strengths is building social connections, he could defuse the situation by saying, "All right, we're having a difficult situation here. What can we do to fix this? Who can we call to help us defuse this? Let's do that." That officer uses awareness both of the rising tension and of his own strength in creating a sociable environment, and the stress in the situation is immediately relieved.

Another example might be an officer stressed by a souring marital relationship and long hours in a difficult neighborhood. He has not been able to reduce his stress in days and feels himself becoming more volatile with each call. Yet he is simultaneously aware of this and knows that his primary character strength is honesty. He can stop and be honest with his partner, his superior, his spouse — or all three — and tell them exactly what is going on and how he is feeling. His superior might recommend a day or two off. His partner might offer to take primary duties on the next call and give him time for quick stress-reduction exercises such as deep breathing or meditation. His spouse might offer to talk it out and work on their relationship together. By recognizing and using his character strength, he addresses stress in the way that works best for him.

Every officer will have his or her own personal character strengths through which resilience is maintained. Moreover, one is not limited to existing strengths — character weaknesses can be developed into strengths over time (Reivich et al., 2011). Recognizing both strengths and weaknesses enables officers to overcome stress more readily and through a wider range of options.

Finally, resiliency depends upon establishing connections with others (Reivich et al., 2011). Connections are the lifeblood of resiliency because human beings are fundamentally social creatures who need a support system, just as the roots of a tree need soil and an ecosystem to flourish. An officer should have a developed social support network — in the community, among peers, or through family — as long as it is real, tangible, and accessible. Furthermore, the officer should continue to grow and renew these connections. The point is to maintain engagement with others, not only for one's own sake but for the sake of others who may also need support. Being there for others itself strengthens one's own resilience — a core lesson of MRT training (Reivich et al., 2011).

Conclusion

Stress is common among law enforcement officers, and its effects on officers and their families can be devastating. Officers may lose morale and incentive to work, and may become more volatile on the job, risking hostile escalations or violent interactions with members of the community. Stress can damage marriages and families, and when the home situation deteriorates it can further impair an officer's ability to manage stress while on duty. It is therefore important that supervisors understand how to help officers manage stress most effectively. Resiliency training and mindfulness can help in this regard, as can scheduling approaches that give officers adequate time to recover and recalibrate. Equally important are supervisors who work to improve the culture of the workplace by ensuring that no officer feels ashamed for seeking mental health support or counseling when dealing with stress.

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