Linda Duxbury,
Work, Family, Life of Police Officers and Their Families During and After a Pandemic – Examination of an Extreme Case

Work, Family, Life of Police Officers and Their Families During and After a Pandemic – Examination of an Extreme Case

Principal Investigator: Linda Duxbury, Management
Funder: MITACS
Partner: Canadian Police Association

The COVID-19 pandemic is an on-going health crisis which is having a dramatic impact on how people in Canada and around the world live their lives. Daily, the numbers are rising of people infected with, and killed by, the novel coronavirus. In response to the rapid spread of the virus, provincial and federal governments have enacted a number of ‘physical distancing’ measures, including closures of publicly-funded schools and all non-essential businesses. This has resulted in unprecedent work/life situations for thousands of Canadians. Police, as an essential frontline service, face particular challenges during this pandemic. They must continue their work on the frontline and risk exposure for themselves and their family to the novel coronavirus. They must balance the requirements of a stressful job (demands which have themselves changed because of the pandemic) with the needs of their children (who are now at home), their partner (who may now be unemployed or working from home) and worries about their elderly family members. We propose to undertake a longitudinal multimethod research study that will examine how police, and their spouses/partners are coping with work, family, and life during the pandemic.