A study on police stressors, coping strategies, and somatization symptoms among South Korean frontline police officers

Abstract

Purpose – Using a sample of male police officers in South Korea, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether police stressors revealed in the western literature are also applicable in the South Korean context. Design/methodology/approach – Officers stationed at 16 frontline substations in a large metropolitan city reported the frequency with which they had been exposed to seven classes of police stressors and perceived somatization symptoms. Findings – Work-family conflict and victimization at the hands of citizens were revealed as the significant predictors of officers’ stress-related somatization symptoms. Unlike western studies, the present study did not reveal moderating effects of coping strategies and social support. Stressors’ effects on somatization symptoms, however, were mediated by destructive coping strategies. Originality value – This study contributes to the comparative literature on police stress.