Felice Work and Family Stress 105is defined as an expected, but functional reaction to an abnormal and trauma-
producing situation (Blak & Sanders, 1997). Officers often feel estranged, isolated,
depressed, anxious, and emotionally unprepared. They also experience increased
irritability (Blak, 1995). Oftentimes these reactions are projected into the home
environment of the officer involved, resulting in interpersonal problems.
The spouses and children of officers involved in these incidents naturally ex-
perience psychological and physical trauma as well. 'The stress that they endure is
considered "secondary stress reaction," or secondary trauma, which is a common
reaction by family members to such encounters (Blak, 1995; White & Honing,
1995). It is not uncommon for there to be a strain on the marital relationship as a
result of the emotional upheaval that each spouse is feeling.
According to research on the effects of PTSD on family members, the
family system is affected in numerous ways including the following. (1) The family
may exhibit their own symptoms such as a lack of self-worth and helplessness. They
naturally want to help, but may feel frustrated in the attempt, resulting in a feeling
of helplessness. Oftentimes, the officer feels depressed as a result of the lack of sup-
port from his or her family. (2) Because the officer often isolates and detaches him-
or herself from others, family members feel that the officer is emotionally dead,
or uncaring, and they experience defeat and failure. (3)The family may express
puzzlement (Blak & Sanders, 1997).
Suicide is a route some officers chose to take as a response to the stress encoun-
tered on a daily basis. In the case of officers who commit suicide, it is the survivors
left behind who must try to understand and cope with the tragedy.
Families of the deceased officer oftentimes experience emotional anguish as well
as feelings of guilt. In the midst of this grieving and mourning process, the families
are frequently left to take care of funeral expenses. Because suicide is perceived as
dishonorable, families may not be afforded the full honors of a police military-style
funeral (J. Violanti, 1995).
In terms of the family receiving any type of support services from the department
to deal with the grieving process, police departments often abandon surviving family
members after 1 or 2 weeks of condolences (J. Violanti, 1 995). This is a harsh reality
for many families who experience the aftermath of police suicide.
Stressors are hardships that affect the family unit because of the choice of a
policing career by one or both of the spouses (Canada, 1993). As stated earlier,
there are specific occupational stressors that are well documented in the research.
Several authors have described the stressors that have been found to develop from
the burden of police work and from the repetitive facing of crime, suffering, and
death (Dietrich, 1989).
Depersonalization is a process where officers learn to become desensitized to
the unpleasant conditions to which they are exposed on a daily basis. Through tins
process, they become emotionally detached. As some authors have stated, peace
officers see not only the worst aspects of life, but see everyone at their worst
(Dietrich, 1989).