Rational Emotive Occupational Health Coaching in the Management of Police Subjective Well-Being and Work Ability: a Case of Repeated Measures

Abstract

Low subjective well-being and work ability constitute threats to employees’ job performances across the world. Indices of low subjective well-being have been observed among police officers in Nigeria and have been linked to their occupational experiences. Managing enhanced subjective well-being is paramount for police officers’ job effectiveness. The current study investigated the effectiveness of rational emotive occupational health coaching (REOHC) in enhancing subjective well-being of police officers in Enugu state, Nigeria. Participants (N = 151) included police officers with not less than 5-year working experience who were randomly assigned to intervention (N = 76) and nonintervention (N = 75) groups. Participants in the intervention group were exposed to 120-min REOHC program weekly for a period of 16 weeks. Subjective well-being scale (SWBS) and perceived work ability index (PWAI) were used to collect data at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up assessments. Data collected were analyzed using independent samples as well as paired sample t test statistics and repeated measure ANOVA. Results revealed that participants in the intervention group had significant improvement in their life satisfaction, affect balance, and flourishing scores at post-test and follow-up assessments compared with the pre-test. Participants in the nonintervention control group did not have a significant change in subjective well-being subscale scores across pre-test, post-test, and follow-up evaluations. The conclusion drawn was that REOHC can be effective in managing subjective well-being among police officers and employees who work under chronic stressful conditions.