Date
5-22-2024
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Tyler Sheppard
Keywords
secondary traumatic stress, law enforcement officer spouse, family well-being, resilience, critical incidents
Disciplines
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Gonzalez, Ninive, "Navigating Secondary Traumatic Stress: The Role and Strategies of Law Enforcement Spouses in Promoting Family Well-Being and Resilience" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5591.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5591
Abstract
Law enforcement officers’ (LEO) spouses play an important role in supporting their officers and maintaining family well-being and resilience in the face of unique challenges associated with the law enforcement career. This hermeneutic phenomenological study explores the experiences, challenges, and strategies LEO spouses utilize to navigate their roles’ demands and promote resilience within their families. This study aimed to understand better LEO spouses’ perceived roles and strategies for fostering family well-being and resilience. Specifically, it explored the challenges accompanied by the law enforcement career that LEO spouses face, the coping strategies they utilize, and the factors contributing to their resilience. This study involved conducting in-depth, semi-structured interviews and focus groups with seven LEO spouses residing in different states across the United States. Thematic analysis was utilized for data analysis, followed by a rigorous iterative process that allowed the identification of key themes related to the roles and strategies of LEO Spouses. These included the psychological impact of the job on officers and their spouses, navigating challenging shift work, lack of support, perceived roles and responsibilities, family resilience, and fostering family well-being through coping strategies. This study’s findings shed light on LEO spouses’ multiple roles and experiences and provide valuable insights into their strategies to maintain family well-being and resilience. By understanding the distinct challenges these spouses face and the strategies they use to cope with stressors, support organizations can better tailor interventions to meet the needs of law enforcement families.
