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CHAPTER 12: STRESS AND RELATED HAZARDS OF THE JOB
TRUE/FALSE
1. Unfair discipline is a cause of organizational stress.
a. True
b. False
2. Officers rarely miss family birthday parties as well as their children’s school conferences, concerts,
plays and sporting events because supervisors realize that family comes first and allows officers time
off to attend these events.
a. True
b. False
3. A major source of employee stress may be upper-level management.
a. True
b. False
4. Everyday confrontations with crime victims are stressful.
a. True
b. False
5. Female police officers must walk a fine line between fitting in and making their own way in law
enforcement.
a. True
b. False
6. A type B personality is more likely than a type A to experience high stress levels.
a. True
b. False
7. Investigators generally have less stress than others in the police department.
a. True
b. False
8. Autocratic managers who seek no input from employees or fail to keep them informed increase stress.
a. True
b. False
9. Those most likely to experience burnout are those who enter the field with only half-hearted
commitment.
a. True
b. False
10. Everyday confrontations with those who commit crimes are stressful.
a. True
b. False
11. No amount of police machismo can deflect the cold, hard reality of PTSD.
a. True
b. False
12. Acute stress can be good for leaders, in that it keeps them alert and challenged.
a. True
b. False
13. The national divorce rate for police officers is 50 percent.
a. True
b. False
14. Lack of participation in decisions that affect daily work tasks is a source of organizational stress.
a. True
b. False
15. An authoritarian structure decreases the level of organizational stress.
a. True
b. False
16. Humans are naturally diurnal in their activity patterns.
a. True
b. False
17. Fatigue is strongly associated with traffic accidents.
a. True
b. False
18. The brain relies on internal influences to keep its circadian rhythm functioning effectively.
a. True
b. False
19. Once burnout occurs, no amount of change can remotivate an employee.
a. True
b. False
20. Nearly twice as many police officers are killed in the line of duty as commit suicide.
a. True
b. False
21. Officers in smaller departments are more likely to suffer PTSD than officers in larger departments.
a. True
b. False
22. Untreated PTSD can lead to depression.
a. True
b. False
23. PTSD is an anxiety disorder.
a. True
b. False
24. Although they improve officer feelings in the short term, peer support groups do little to reduce
chronic stress.
a. True
b. False
MULTIPLE CHOICE
25. Stress __________.
a.
is always harmful
b.
may be helpful or harmful
c.
is completely different from conflict
d.
is emotionally but not monetarily serious
26. Stress is __________.
a.
tension
b.
pressure
c.
anxiety
d.
all of these
27. Which of the following is untrue of stress?
a.
continued exposure to stress decreases its severity
b.
stress is an abnormal bodily reaction to fear
c.
stress does not need to be addressed immediately
d.
all of these
28. The police job is __________.
a.
a high stress profession
b.
no more or less stressful than any other job
c.
the highest stress job in the United States
d.
among the lowest stress jobs in the United States
29. Stress that is severe and intense but lasts for only a limited amount of time is known as __________.
a.
traumatic stress
b.
cumulative stress
c.
acute stress
d.
chronic stress
30. Stress may be caused by many work-related sources. Which of the following is not considered a
work-related stressor?
a.
line of duty deaths
b.
paperwork
c.
management practices
d.
failure of the criminal justice system
31. Which of the following is not a mechanisms for reducing stress described in the text?
a.
eating chocolate
b.
exercising regularly
c.
changing your mental attitude
d.
making friends
32. Among the programs designed to reduce stress in police organizations, which technique can be useful
in reducing stress, reducing resignations and improving employee relationships?
a.
prevention programs
b.
training
c.
stress exposure management training
d.
testing and selection
33. According to your text, the best way to identify and replace dysfunction beliefs and stressors (distress)
with appropriate aggression (eustress) is __________.
a.
admitting you are stressed
b.
seeking psychological assistance
c.
through training and practice
d.
physical exercise
34. Between 2000 and 2008, which year had the highest fatality rate of law enforcement officers?
a.
2000
b.
2001
c.
2007
d.
2008
35. Boredom, defensiveness and hostility are ___________ symptoms of stress.
a.
physical
b.
psychological
c.
behavioral
d.
psychosomatic
36. Women police officers may __________.
a.
receive less respect than male counterparts
b.
have fewer stressors than male officers
c.
encounter less hostility than males
d.
receive more positive reactions from fellow officers
37. Especially traumatic for officers are confrontations with individuals who __________.
a.
are terrorists
b.
refuse to be taken alive
c.
emotionally disturbed individuals
d.
all of these
38. The worst response a manager can give to the media is to say __________.
a.
“I have no comment”
b.
“The matter is under investigation”
c.
not respond
d.
all of these
39. The physical symptom most likely to be associated with stress is __________.
a.
fatigue
b.
anger
c.
paranoia
d.
drug or alcohol abuse
40. Abdominal pain, headaches and increased pulse rate are ___________ symptoms of stress.
a.
physical
b.
psychological
c.
behavioral
d.
psychosomatic
41. Police organizations can assist members to reduce stress by providing __________.
a.
annual physical examinations
b.
periodic psychological fitness-for-duty evaluations
c.
in-service health and fitness training
d.
all of these
42. To address the problem of officer sleep deprivation, managers should __________.
a.
review policies that affect overtime
b.
give officers a voice in decisions related to their work hours and shift schedules
c.
formally assess the level of fatigue officers experience
d.
all of these
43. All of the following are behavioral symptoms of stress except __________.
a.
stomach pains
b.
anger
c.
sleep problems
d.
nail biting
44. Stress may be increased by__________.
a.
alcohol abuse
b.
drug abuse
c.
smoking
d.
all of these
45. Chronic stress is also known as ____________ stress.
a.
acute
b.
traumatic
c.
cumulative
d.
transitional
46. Officers are often faced with prosecutors who decide not to prosecute a case, exclude police officers
during plea bargaining, and fail to exhibit any appreciation for the role of law enforcement; a court that
is perceived as too lenient. These are examples of __________.
a.
internal stressors
b.
external stressors
c.
organizational stressors
d.
public stressors
47. Argumentativeness, inability to concentrate and rage are ___________ symptoms of stress.
a.
physical
b.
psychological
c.
behavioral
d.
psychosomatic
48. An heightened expectation that law enforcement is able to catch all criminals is called __________.
a.
the CSI effect
b.
unrealistic public goals
c.
the Law and Order effect
d.
none of these
49. A CISD should take place ___________ after a critical incident.
a.
immediately
b.
within 24 to 72 hours
c.
one week
d.
two weeks
COMPLETION
50. EAP stands for ____________________________________________________.
51. _____________ is the public’s heightened expectation of what police can do and the tools available to
police in solving crimes.
52. A _____________________ is any event that elicits an overwhelming emotional response from those
witnessing it and whose emotional impact goes beyond the person’s coping abilities.
53. ____________ results from long-term, unmediated stress.
54. An aggressive, hyperactive “driver” who tends to be a workaholic is known as a _________________
personality.
55. Police experience a unique kind of stress called ___________ stress, a result of frequent and
near-instant transition from complete calm to high activity and pressure.
56. A ________________________________________________________ (CISD) is an effective way to
prevent or reduce stress.
57. Acute stress is sometimes called ___________________ stress.
58. The _____________________________ asserts that if a person has intentionally or unintentionally
provoked a police officer, at that instant the provoker rather than the police officer should be viewed as
causing the resulting injury or damages.
59. In the aftermath of a stressful incident, an officer’s family can be greatly affected leaving emotional
scars, a phenomenon known as ________________.
60. The period of hypovigilance, impaired cognitive and behavioral performance that is experienced upon
wakening is known as _________________________.
MATCHING
Match each statement to the item listed below
a.
afterburn
g.
CSI effect
b.
blue flame
h.
external stress
c.
burnout
i.
homeostasis
d.
circadian system
j.
operational stress
e.
distress
k.
organizational stress
f.
diurnal
l.
personal stress
61. day-oriented
62. the heightened expectation of what police can do and the tools available to them in solving crimes.
63. the damaging emotional impact on an officer’s family following a stressful incident
64. stress produced by real threats and dangers, such as high-speed pursuit
65. stress generated by an officer’s race or gender or in adjusting to the police culture’s values
66. negative stress that can lead to a variety of diseases
67. the symbol of a law enforcement officer who wants to make a difference in the world
68. the process that keeps all bodily functions in balance
69. what occurs when someone is exhausted or listless because of overwork or stress
70. a complex biological timekeeping system
71. stress produced by regular contact with tragedy, deceit, immorality and brutality
72. stress produced by elements such as changing schedules, odd hours and detailed rules, policies and
procedures
ESSAY
73. Discuss the law enforcement duty of death notification. What reactions might an officer expect? What
death notification guidelines should be followed?
74. List and discuss the common responses officers have to critical incidents. What happens physically?
Emotionally?
75. Explain PTSD, what it stands for, who is at risk, what the common symptoms are and how it can be
dealt with.
76. Describe the various types of stress and the symptoms associated with each.
77. Discuss the coping methods commonly used by law enforcement officers to handle stress. How can
managers reduce their own stress levels?
78. Discuss the interplay of stressors. How does this concept help distinguish police work from other
professions?
79. How does stress affect different personnel within the police department? Be sure to provide examples
for each of the groups identified in the text.
