Perceived Impact of Police Work on Marital Relationships

Abstract

Police work creates unique marital difficulties. There are many factors that add stress to police officers’ marriages, including shift work, long hours and unconventional schedules, divided commitment between work and family roles, and perceived personality changes among officers. When police officers carry work-related stress and behaviors into the home, they may experience difficulties in their family relationships. Unfortunately, relatively few researchers have investigated the impact of police work on spouses. In this study, we administered a needs assessment to police officers and their spouses to determine the types of difficulties evident in their marriages. Results indicated that officers and spouses generally agreed on stressors and sources of support. Although spouses reported feeling pride about being married to an officer, they also noted financial concerns, work–family conflict, and law enforcement-specific stressors, such as negative public attitudes toward police. Officers and spouses reported relying on friends and family for support more than on professional sources. Implications for prevention and intervention when working with police officers and their spouses are discussed. © 2014, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.