Homework Question on complexities faced by law enforcement personnel when seeking assistance for stress related issues.
Summarize the complexities faced by law enforcement personnel when seeking assistance for stress related issues. Assignment Instructions:
Be sure that your Forum answer is:
- Based on research
- Using professional, scholarly sources
- Submitted in APA 6th ed style
- A minimum of 500 words excluding the references list
Homework Answer on complexities faced by law enforcement personnel when seeking assistance for stress related issues.
Due to the nature and demands of their work, law enforcement officers face elevated risks and incidences of stress-related issues. These include mental illnesses, behavioral problems, development of suicidal thoughts, and self-concept problems. Despite the higher prevalence of these problems among the officers, they encounter significant problems in the access and use of professional assistance to address these problems because of various socio-cultural and professional causes (Lanterman et al, 2010; NIJ Journal Article, 2000).
Lanterman et al (2010) note that the subculture in law enforcement features characteristic suspicion of “outsiders” and perpetuates an image of strength, resilience, power, and courage. This influences the attachment of stigma towards the search for assistance from professionals when officers experience stress, causing officers’ reluctance to access help even as the symptoms prolong and exacerbate. The unregulated responses to stress can cause extended psychological and physiological costs in the lives of officers (Lanterman et al, 2010).
As a culture, law enforcement has traditionally preserved expectations of officers to have little problem and cope effectively with regular and significant levels of service stress within themselves, rather than verbalizing it or sharing it with others, including professionals and friends. The public and law enforcement contexts consider officers as strong and authoritative, with perceptions that they can withstand common stress experiences such as sadness, frustrations, and fear without professional assistance.