This study was conducted as controversy and turmoil engulfed police worldwide. Police-community conflict was widespread and conceivably increased officers’ stress levels. Because stress affects officers’ health and job performance, it is important to understand the phenomenon. This study was designed to ascertain officers’ stress levels, coping mechanisms, and perspectives regarding police-community relations, their perceived stress-related needs, and their perceptions of departmental assistance. Participants (N = 128) were police officers across several jurisdictions of various sizes in the northeastern United States. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected; analytic methods included statistical correlations and regression, as well as qualitative, thematic analysis. Results indicated the following: Participants experienced stress across multiple areas; some coping mechanisms predicted higher expressions of stress, as did certain perspectives of police-community relations and years in law enforcement. Participants’ perspectives of their needs and their suggestions for action contributed to data-driven policy recommendations regarding both prevention and symptom reduction approaches.
Grief is a universal experience; however not everyone experiences grief and loss in the same way. People who are incarcerated are often informed of losses via phone, are unable to attend funeral services or participate in supportive rituals, and can have difficulty expressing feelings in a place where showing emotion can be dangerous. Being unable to obtain support and process grief and loss may contribute to impaired functioning. In this study of bereavement support for women in prison, incarcerated women with recent or unresolved losses (n=32) were randomly assigned to grief support groups with therapy dogs (animal-assisted, AA) or without therapy dogs (non-AA). Pre- and post-test measures of bereavement symptoms and prolonged grief disorder (PGD) were obtained. This study shows that AA groups had more significant decreases in symptoms, lower rates of post-group diagnostic criteria for PGD and higher rates of perceived support/benefit from the groups.
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