Stress Management for Correctional Officers and Their Families

• NCJ Number: 100002
• Author(s): F E Cheek
• Date Published: 1984
• Length: 119 pages
• Sale Source: American Correctional Association
• Publication Type: Overview Text
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This book examines the nature, sources, and consequences of stress and provides coping strategies for correctional officers at home and in the workplace.

Abstract

After an examination of the personal and organizational costs of stress and employee burnout, sources of correctional stress are delineated as they relate to the individual's physical and psychological needs. The contribution of irrational thinking patterns to stress is discussed, and the way in which an individual may become a carrier of stress both at home and at work is outlined. Commonly used positive and negative coping techniques are enumerated. Special emphasis is given to five major coping techniques: maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including adequate rest and proper nutrition; deep relaxation and desensitization; improving self-image; appropriate assertiveness; and behavior change. Appendixes include a stress and burnout self-evaluation, instructions for relaxation, and muscle relaxation, self-relaxation, and desensitization exercises. Tables and 51 references.