An evaluation of a psychosocial stress and coping model in the police work context

Gerrit J Louw,Adriaan Viviers

doi:10.4102/sajip.v36i1.442

Gerrit J Louw, Adriaan Viviers

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v36i1.442

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Abstract

Orientation: Stress is a social reality which does not exist in isolation, but in many social situations, especially work-related environments. Police officers in particular suffer from highly negative stress related outcomes.Research purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine how Moos's hypothesised stress and coping model (1994) fitted a sample of police officers.Motivation for the study: The study was an attempt to understand police officers' unique needs and how the frequency and/or intensity of perceived stress could be reduced so that they would be able to cope more effectively with stress.Research design, approach and method: A non-experimental survey design, following the quantitative tradition, was used in pursuit of the research objectives. A random sample of 505 participants was extracted from a population of serving male and female police officers reflecting the typical South African ethnic groups. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to establish the adequacy of between the hypothesised Moos model and the sample.Main findings: The hypothesised theoretical framework was disproved. A respecified model and inter-correlations confirm that some officers experience burnout, while, paradoxically, others continue to be unaffected because of the buffering effect of social support, personality factors and other resilience factors not revealed in this study.Practical/managerial implications: The study calls on police management for awareness of the negative health consequences of prolonged stressors. Simultaneously, employee assistance programmes could be directed to problem-solving strategies, perceived self-efficacy and learned resourcefulness to improve control over prolonged negative stress consequences among members.Contribution/value-add: This research provides a theoretical framework to understand, describe and assess individual well-being in the police work context.

Highlights

Researchers describe police work as one of society’s most stressful occupations (Alexander, 1999; Anshel, 2000; Paton & Violanti, 1999)
The above results are confirmed by other studies (Schaufeli & Buunk, 2003; Semmer, 2003), which propose that individuals who suffer from burnout may disengage from social and work relationships, and would necessarily avoid interaction, irrespective of whether it is in a social or work context
Saucier and Goldberg (2002) found that individuals who had high scores on neuroticism tended to have low self-esteem, would avoid social or work interaction and were vulnerable to severe stress outcomes. It seems that individuals scoring high on extraversion, agreeableness, and openness to experience might be less vulnerable to severe stressors

Summary

Introduction

Researchers describe police work as one of society’s most stressful occupations (Alexander, 1999; Anshel, 2000; Paton & Violanti, 1999). Police officers are not different from individuals in other professions who are suffering from negative stress related outcomes (Mostert & Joubert, 2005). Such affected individuals find it extremely difficult to effectively cope with daily activities and, in some instances, suffering from symptoms like depression, psychosomatic disturbances and cardiac dysfunction, to name but a few. Other co-workers exposed to the same circumstances and conditions reflect a vigorous and energetic life – a phenomenon which stress and coping theorists often do not consider researching

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