Abstract
PurposeJob stressor exposure is associated with mental health in police officers. Police stress research rarely draws a distinction between urban and rural policing, raising the possibility that stressors specific to the rural context remain unidentified and their implications unknown. This may hinder actions to protect the mental health of those involved in policing rural communities.Design/methodology/approachAmong rural policing teams in an English county police force this study used an exploratory sequential mixed method design to (1) identify and quantify exposure to rural policing stressors and (2) examine links between job stressor exposure and psychological distress.FindingsInterviews (N = 34) identified three rural policing job stressor themes: (1) job demands, (2) isolation and (3) critical decisions. Survey data (N = 229) indicated significant differences in exposure by rank to demand and critical decision stressors, with police community support officers (PCSOs) reporting lower exposure than officers of constable and sergeant rank. Overall, 44% of respondents reported symptoms of psychological distress indicative of likely minor psychiatric disorder; higher levels of psychological distress were associated with higher stressor exposure across all three job stressor themes for PCSOs and constables and within the job demand theme for sergeants.Originality/valueFindings point towards practical actions focussed on resource provision for officers and a research strategy to ameliorate the impact of stressors in English rural policing.
Highlights
A 2018 survey of 18,000 police officers across England and Wales found a prevalence rate for high job stressfulness three times that of the British adult working population, with one-quarter having sought help in the preceding year for feelings of stress or other mental health and wellbeing difficulties (Elliott-Davies, 2018)
For demand and critical decision stressors differences in exposure rates were observed by rank, with police community support officers (PCSOs) reporting lower exposure than constables and sergeants
Higher levels of psychological distress were associated with higher stressor exposure across all three job stressor themes for PCSOs and constables and within the job demand theme for sergeants. 44% of respondents reported symptoms of psychological distress indicative of likely minor psychiatric disorder
Summary
A 2018 survey of 18,000 police officers across England and Wales found a prevalence rate for high job stressfulness three times that of the British adult working population, with one-quarter having sought help in the preceding year for feelings of stress or other mental health and wellbeing difficulties (Elliott-Davies, 2018). Consistent with this, more than half of 1,226 English officers surveyed in 2014–2015 reported symptoms of psychological distress. © Jonathan Houdmont, Liza Jachens, Raymond Randall and Jim Colwell. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/ legalcode
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