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Relationships: A “Make It or Break It” Suicidal Factor

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Practical Considerations for Preventing Police Suicide

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Abstract

When considering the connections between suicide/suicidal thoughts and relationships, it has become apparent that there is a multitude of factors and complexities that need to be considered. When law enforcement officers can better understand the relationships, they can better navigate their social connections inside and outside of work. Gaining an awareness of the importance that relationships play in both domains (home and work) can assist officers in being proactive and engaging in healthy social relationships that can either “make or break” life-altering decisions and experiences.

Individual personalities manifest through relationships and personal connections and can be observed in the family members. There are developmental stages in these relationships and connection and when these are initiated by unhealthy dynamics, an apprehensive pattern of attachment, or dysfunctional bonding, the individual can experience cognitive dissonance and behavioral problems.

Psychological stressors, physical demands, and challenges are frequently identified as possible “risk factors” to several unhealthy behaviors, including suicide. With increasing numbers of law enforcement suicides, it is imperative to consider the role of various relational dimensions that constitute an officer’s social world (home, work, etc.) play.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mind Armour® & SOS Psychotherapy, Newmarket, ON, Canada

    Sajel Bellon

  2. Blue Wall Institute, Belleville, IL, USA

    Jorey Krawczyn

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Correspondence to Sajel Bellon .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Blue Wall Institute, Belleville, IL, USA

    Olivia Johnson

  2. The POWER Project San Diego San Diego, CA, USA, ProWellness Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada

    Konstantinos Papazoglou

  3. School of Public Health & Health Professions, University at Buffalo State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA

    John Violanti

  4. Saint Joseph’s College, Brooklyn, NY, USA

    Joseph Pascarella

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Bellon, S., Krawczyn, J. (2022). Relationships: A “Make It or Break It” Suicidal Factor. In: Johnson, O., Papazoglou, K., Violanti, J., Pascarella, J. (eds) Practical Considerations for Preventing Police Suicide. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83974-1_5

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