How do correctional officers deal with stress

The coping strategies utilized by the correctional officer as evaluated by the Carver COPE tool were: get rid of the problem, let out my emotions, seek support from family, seek advice about what to do, seek spiritual help, wait and not overreact, typically become emotionally distressed, exercise, use alcohol, smoke, or use other drugs, try to see it in a different light make it positive , criticize myself, come up with a strategy to improve situation, seek therapy, go to the movies, watch television, read, sleep, etc.

Additionally, certain types of stressors accentuated the plight of the correctional officer, e. The most popular methods were exercising and seeking religion. Configure slider slides Configure slider options. The realization of how little any one CO can do to change behavior or make the world a better place can be disheartening.

Repeated exposure to each of these contributing factors leave officers susceptible to phenomena known as learned helplessness. The development of learned helplessness, research has shown, is directly connected to diminished resilience; what good is being resilient, after all, if nothing you ever do is adequate or capable of making a difference to yourself or anyone else? Resilient people view setbacks as disappointing but temporary, refuse to be defined by their failures and understand each as opportunities to learn, grow, and recalibrate.

They maintain a realistic and healthy perspective and know not to generalize draw broad conclusions from specific events. Nor are they exempt from forming initial judgments or stereotypes based on specific incidents or repetitive experience.

The difference lies in how the more optimistic among us are able to quickly step back to reframe the experience s , work through their emotions, and envision a path forward. They refuse to become stuck in the morass of hopelessness and helplessness. One of the strongest predictors of emotional health and long-term happiness is the quality and strength of relationships. This is true regardless of other factors that can otherwise negatively impact happiness mental health, demonstrating how powerful our connections with others are and how important it is to nurture them.

But law enforcement has a reputation for being tough on family and friends, leading to weakened or broken bonds and leaving COs feeling disconnected or connected primarily to other COs. There is nothing wrong with forming strong bonds with fellow officers, of course, but we need to stay vigilant; when our relationships are limited those whose worldview and experiences are largely similar to our own we lose sight of outside points-of-view and have our prejudices and fears reinforced.

By forcing yourself to expand your social circle beyond the corrections world, to include family, old friends, and even regularly forming new relationships, you will begin to see the world with fresh perspective and be able to see and emulate the behavior of resilient acquaintances. Your own perspectives can be challenged and refined.

And cognitively stepping outside the corrections world and into another freshens the perspective and energy you will bring to the job. Train your brain to look for and test other perspectives about why things happen, their meaning and how it affects you emotionally. This is, in a nutshell, the heart of cognitive-behavioral therapy that many modern mental health professionals rely on to treat depression, anxiety and other disorders in their offices with great success.

We tend to lean heavily on gut instinct when considering why something happened or the motivations that drive others that is informed by past experience and overconfidence in our own ability to correctly judge and understand others.

We lose sight of the big picture. Instead, learn to be skeptical of your own conclusions, beliefs and understandings, not because they are automatically wrong but because skepticism forces you to zoom out and consider different perspectives, which leads to growth.

Learn to seek broader perspectives on everything, as a matter of habit, and see how much doing so will brighten your outlook and sense of resilience. Take care of yourself physically by exercising, minding your health, eating well and getting proper rest. This seems obvious, but emotional resilience dips we tend to neglect other areas of health, as well.

Good physical health and rest are important to meet challenges with resilience. It is also what we have been preaching and practicing for years. In other words, the job will bring you down, will disappoint, will skew your perspective, and will break your heart.

Not always, but at times, so have other identities, too, from which you can draw strength, success, and resilience. It is when we base all our identity and self-esteem into one role that the inevitable failures, disappointments and setbacks sure to come are more likely to whittle away at our natural resilience.

Diversification is one of the best ways to you can stay resilient, and to be the best CO you can be. Mike works full time as a police officer for a large suburban Chicago agency while Althea is a social worker in private practice at Fox Bend Counseling in Oswego Illinois.

They write on a wide range of topics to include officer wellness, relationships, mental health, morale, and ethics.

You can keep up with them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter , or check out their website at www. You can increase your resistance to stress by strengthening your physical and emotional health by exercising regularly , eating clean and healthy, avoiding alcohol and drugs, and getting enough sleep. Feeling good about yourself will increase your self-confidence and improve your self-esteem, both of which can help reduce stress.

Lastly, do not be afraid to seek professional help for stress management for both you and your family. Recognize that working in a corrections environment is extremely stressful, and there may be times that you need professional support and guidance.

Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. About the Author : Dr. Michael Pittaro , assistant professor within the School of Security and Global Studies at American Military Universit y, is a year criminal justice veteran, highly experienced in working with criminal offenders in a variety of settings. He has lectured in higher education for the past 15 years while also serving as an author, editor and subject matter expert.

To contact the author, please send an email to IPSauthor apus. More Corrections1 Articles. More Corrections1 Exclusives. Make Corrections1 your homepage. The "smooth shift": The dream of every correctional officer.

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