Effects of Stress and Depression on Police Officers

Effects of Stress and Depression on Police Officers

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Effects of Stress and Depression on Police Officers

Purpose of the study

The primary purpose of this study is to understand the impact of stress and depression on the effectiveness of police officers. Just like in any other work environment, police offices underdo a significant amount of stress that can have negative impacts on their performance. The introduction of this paper alludes to the fact that “the cumulative effect of the pressure and long working hours that the officers go through usually have adverse effects on them.

In the long run, many police officers end up being stressed and eventually getting depressed so much that they experience poor health”. The primary role of any police officer is to maintain law and order. For police officers to achieve this goal, it is desirable for them to be in the desired state of mind. Their jobs involve making decisions instantaneously, and there is often very little time to consider the consequences.

Nevertheless, the decisions that the officers make will in one way or another impact law and order. Additionally, the introduction affirmed that “any issue that is capable of affecting service delivery among police officers needs to be treated with great concern”.

Thus, this paper examines the incidences of stress and depression among police officers and the extent to which these incidences impact their performance. The outcomes of this investigation will be useful in the examination of the most appropriate strategies to reduce stress and depression among police officers and at the same time make sure that the quality of service delivery is not compromised.

The relationship between the variables

• Independent variables: stress and repression
• Dependent variable: effectiveness of police officers

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The variables above suggest that there is a relationship between the effectiveness of police officers and their state of mind (stress and depression). The state of mind of police officers plays an important role in influencing the decisions that they make. When police officers are stress and depressed, it becomes very difficult for them to perform their duties. Notably, the stress and depression that many of the police officers experience arise from the nature of their job.

Working for long hours and failure to achieve objectives are some of the sources of stress and depression among police officer. Thus, when examining the most effective strategies to improve the performance of police officers, there is a need to develop approaches that would address stress and depression among the officers.

The need for enhanced understanding of the issue

The United States has continually undertaken measures to promote the mental health of its police officers. In spite of these measures, it is evident that a significant number of police officers still experience stress and depression (Akinola & Mendes,2012). There are many instances where police officers in the United States, not as a unit but on an individual basis, have been accused of taking actions that are irregular, illegal and procedural. For example, police officers have been accused of misusing their firearms so that they cause fear and apprehension among members of the public.

There are times when police officers had shot at and injured members of the public even when the members of the public were unarmed and did not pose any threat to the life of the police officers. These incidences are common among police officers who are stressed depressed (Petterson et al., 2012). The need for further studies is necessitated by the fact that the interventions that have been put in place have been largely ineffective in addressing the challenges.

Theoretical framework

The institutional theory of police

The institutional theory of police examines the functioning of the police in light of the nature of the organizations that manage them. The chief issue that this theory propagates is that the level of effectiveness or lack of it mirrors the institutional framework that governs the functioning of the police officers (Mmatusiak et al., 2017).

There is a significant level of relationship between the work of police officers and the institutions that manage them. The importance of this theory to the current study is that it enhances the understanding of the role that police institutions play in the determination of the mental state of police officers. Perhaps a change in the institutional frameworks may have tremendous benefits to the development of the officers.

References

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Akinola, M., & Mendes, W. B. (2012). Stress-induced cortisol facilitates threat-related decision making among police officers. Behavioural neuroscience, 126(1), 167.

Matusiak, M. C., King, W. R., & Maguire, E. R. (2017). How perceptions of the institutional environment shape organizational priorities: findings from a survey of police chiefs. Journal of crime and justice, 40(1), 5-19.

Patterson, G. T., Chung, I. W., & Swan, P. G. (2012). The effects of stress management interventions among police officers and recruits. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 8(1), 1-54.

Effects of Stress and Depression on Police Officers

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