Assessment of subjective stress in the municipal police force at the start and at the end of the shift

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess subjective stress in the municipal police force of a large Italian city by administering the Rapid Stress Assessment (RSA) Scale, a self-rated tool, in order to identify any possible differences between the start and the end of the shift. Two samples of 100 exposed traffic police officers and 100 non-exposed office-workers of both sexes were assessed. The subjects were interviewed on a working day, at the start (6.45 a.m.) and end (2 p.m.) of their shift. The analysis of the data showed a significantly higher total score, as well as scores in the anxiety and aggressiveness clusters at the end of the shift both in traffic police officers and in office-workers compared to those recorded at the start of the shift. The RSA ‘somatization’ cluster was only significantly higher at the end of the shift in traffic police officers with respect to the start of the shift. A gender analytical framework showed a higher score among separated or divorced women with children. The results could be taken to mean that the stressors have, throughout the working day, an ‘exhausting’ effect and the subject feels ‘down’, despite having finished his/her work for the day. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.