Abstract
Police employees are exposed to a variety of complex, work-related stressors and are susceptible to experiencing reduced psychological wellbeing. To advance understanding of the personal and social factors underpinning psychological wellbeing in this population, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between psychological wellbeing, perceived support from colleagues, received support from colleagues and personality factors in police employees. A sample of 381 police employees from a county police force in England completed an online questionnaire assessing: psychological wellbeing; perceived support; received support; and personality factors. Psychological wellbeing was significantly and positively associated with perceived support from colleagues, received support from colleagues, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience. Further investigation of these relationships using multiple logistic regression analysis found that perceived support from colleagues, received support from colleagues, extraversion, and emotional stability significantly predicted psychological wellbeing. Given growing concerns about psychological wellbeing in police forces, the findings could help to inform the promotion of psychological wellbeing across operational and non-operational police employees. The results suggest that increasing both perceptions of available support and the amount of support received among employees in police forces is important for enhancing psychological wellbeing in this population. Furthermore, police employees with lower levels of extraversion and emotional stability should also be considered for additional support to promote psychological wellbeing.
Highlights
Police employees are exposed to a variety of complex, work-related stressors and are susceptible to experiencing reduced psychological wellbeing
Moderate-to-strong associations were found between psychological wellbeing and perceived support (r 1⁄4 .47, p < .05), emotional stability (r 1⁄4 .47, p < .05), received support (r 1⁄4 .40, p < .05), and extraversion (r 1⁄4 .35, p < .05)
Other noteworthy findings were that significant positive associations were found between perceived support and received support (r 1⁄4 .40, p < .05), Table 1
Summary
Police employees are exposed to a variety of complex, work-related stressors and are susceptible to experiencing reduced psychological wellbeing. Recent research has highlighted that police employees in non-operational roles can often be exposed to traumatic events directly (e.g. distressing calls) or vicariously, and are susceptible to experiencing negative psychological outcomes in their work (Kerswell et al, 2019). This suggests that further research on psychological wellbeing in policing should adopt a broader perspective and consider employees working in nonoperational roles to ensure that a more holistic understanding of psychological wellbeing in this occupation can be developed. This study sought to develop understanding of the personal and work-related factors that contribute to psychological wellbeing in policing by examining the relationship between psychological wellbeing, social support, and personality in police employees, comprising both operational (i.e. employees who deliver police or police-related services) and non-operational staff (i.e. professional and support staff)
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