| Although stress research in law enforcement has spanned almost forty years, it has been based primarily on police officers' stress and, more recently, on stress within police families. Little published research exists concerning stress for agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and their families. The purpose of this doctoral project was to determine what factors contribute to stress within FBI agent families from the spouse's perspective, to discover strategies to reduce those stressors, and to incorporate the strategies into a proposed workshop or credit course.;The research design included two parts: focus groups and the survey questionnaire. To design the survey instrument, the initial study included three focus groups of FBI agent spouses that generated ninety-four factors, using the Nominal Group Technique, in response to the question "What factors contribute to stress within FBI agent families from the spouses' perspective?" The ninety-four stress factors were categorized and collapsed into forty-three factors to form the basis of the survey that was sent to 1,423 FBI agent spouses.;Two methods of measurement were utilized in the research instrument: a scaled response survey and a selection and ranking of the three "most important" stress factors.;The top stressors in both methods of measurements were the following six factors: (1) "Agent working long hours," (2) "Lack of support of family and friends when moved," (3) "Concern for agent's safety," (4) "Spouse is ultimately responsible for all home affairs," (5) "Spouse's need to find a new job after the agent is transferred," and (6) "Spouse's isolation due to moving.";Specific recommendations for the FBI included: (1) Improved orientation programs for FBI spouses to Bureau life, (2) Additional channels of communication between FBI families and the Employee Assistance Program, (3) Establishment of a support system when FBI families transfer, and (4) Implementation of a proactive stress management program for FBI families.;It was suggested that the community college serve as a vehicle in helping the law enforcement community reduce stress within their families by developing: (1) Stress management seminars and workshops from a family perspective, (2) College credit courses or course units on law enforcement stress in conjunction with existing Criminal Justice programs, and (3) Credit or non-credit communication programs designed to meet specific needs of law enforcement agencies. |
