Managing Worries About Risk
Topics: Couples
Everybody worries at times. PSP family members may worry about the risks and dangers associated with PSP work. This is understandable. Worries can be helpful, as they can urge preparation and planning for challenging events. However, worries become a problem when they happen a lot, make it hard to focus on other things, and feel like they “spiral” out of control.
Families may find that seeing or hearing certain things increases their worries. This could include hearing about traumatic events on the news, social media, movies or TV, or through conversations. Identifying what increases worries and focusing on not adding “fuel” to these worries can be helpful. It can also be useful to talk as a family about these concerns. Family talks are a chance for PSP family members to share accurate and reliable information about the job. Having these important talks not only reduces worries but also strengthens mutual support for families.
Things to consider…
- Paying attention to what increases worries. These are often issues related to the risks associated with PSP work.
- Discussing together what increases worries or family tension.
- Cutting back on (or cutting out) media that increases worries (e.g., turning off the news, putting phones away).
- Practicing what you can say or not participating in conversations that increase worry (e.g., “I actually don’t want to hear about this.”)
Skill building:
References for this page (click to expand)
Sharp, M.-L., Solomon, N., Harrison, V., Gribble, R., Cramm, H., Pike, G., & Fear, N. T. (2022). The mental health and wellbeing of spouses, partners and children of emergency responders: A systematic review. Plos One, 17(6), e0269659. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0269659