Police Stress Research Articles

Leisure education and parks programming to address stress, burnout, and coping in law enforcement officers: an exploratory study

ABSTRACT Law enforcement officers (LEOs) frequently experience occupational stress, which may lead to burnout. Without positive coping strategies, LEOs are at risk of a myriad of negative health-related issues. This exploratory study evaluated the impact of a leisure education and parks programme offered in the workplace on stress, burnout, and coping in LEOs. Ten LEOs enrolled in the six-week programme that offered group leisure education sessions supplemented by individual time spent in parks. Scores on the Operational Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-Op) and Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) revealed lower stress and burnout scores for participants following the program, but the changes were not statistically significant. One subscale of the COPE Inventory, suppression of competing activities, revealed significantly higher scores post-programme (p =.04). The majority (77.78%) of the participants reported that they valued and were satisfied with the program. Findings provide initial support for leisure education and parks programming provided to LEOs in an effort to address their occupational health needs including stress, burnout, and coping.

Assessing Police Stress in the Philippines during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Does Community Size Matter?

Assessing Police Stress in the Philippines during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Does Community Size Matter?

The impact of operational police stress on affective commitment: the mediating role of psychological safety

PurposePolice stress is a critical concern for public safety agencies. This study proposes a research model to examine the relationship between police operational stress and affective commitment, mediated by psychological safety.Design/methodology/approachA survey was developed and administered to law enforcement professionals from two large police agencies in a Midwestern US state and Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil.FindingsThe results suggest the research model applies similarly in both countries. A significant relationship between police operational stress and lower affective commitment was found. Psychological safety mediated this effect, suggesting its importance in mitigating stress. The focus on psychological safety offers valuable insights for understanding officer well-being in high-stress environments.Research limitations/implicationsQualitative methods might be used to help better understand the contextual elements around police stress and its consequences. Results indicate that supportive work environments that foster psychological safety can be a powerful tool to buffer the negative effects of stress and promote officer well-being and retention.Practical implicationsA comprehensive understanding of the psychological factors influencing officer morale and engagement is essential for developing interventions to enhance law enforcement effectiveness. Psychological safety helps create a supportive work environment, reducing stress’s negative impact on officer commitment.Originality/valueThis study makes a distinctive contribution by examining the mediating role of psychological safety in the relationship between operational stress and affective commitment among police officers in two countries. Building upon prior research that has examined the impact of stress and psychological safety, this study is among the first to investigate how psychological safety specifically mitigates the negative impact of stress on officer commitment.

Assessment of the Mental Health of Police Officers: A Systematic Review of Specific Instruments.

The objective was to identify validated instruments from the literature that assess the mental health of police officers. This is a systematic review of validated instruments used to assess the mental health of police officers. Searches were conducted in the MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, CINAHL/EBSCO, and Virtual Health Library databases. This review follows the JBI Manual for Systematic Reviews and the PRISMA statement. The methodological quality of the articles and the risk of bias were assessed. A total of 1530 studies were identified across the six databases, with 158 studies read in full by the authors after excluding duplicates and those that did not meet the inclusion criteria. The final 29 studies were analyzed for methodological quality and risk of bias using the AXIS and SFS-D tools. This review identified 27 self-administered validated instruments useful for assessing various mental health outcomes in police officers, with the most frequently used being the Police Stress Questionnaire. These findings may help guide security force administration, occupational health professionals, and mental health researchers in selecting and implementing psychometrically reliable instruments for screening the mental health of police officers.

Operational Stress and Psychological Well-Being Among Police Officers in Benue State Police Command: The Mediating Role of Coping Strategies

Psychological Well-being is an important concept used in behaviour sciences to evaluate the state of an individual in terms of perception, feelings, cognition and internal experience. This study investigated Operational Stress and Psychological Well-being among Police Officers in Benue State Police Command: The Mediating Role of Coping Strategies. The study employed a Cross-Sectional Survey Design, where three hundred and fifty seven (357) Police Officers consisting of 219 (61.3%) Males and 134 (37.5%) Females were used for the study. Their ages ranged from 19 to 59 years with the Mean of 38.13 (SD=9.54128). The Operational Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-Op), Brief-COPE Inventory and Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWB) were used for data collection. Statistical analysis involved the use of Multiple Regression and PROCESS Mediation Analyses. Findings from the hypotheses indicated that, Operational Stress has made an independent significant contribution to Psychological Wellbeing of Police Officers in Benue State Police Command. Coping Strategies significantly influenced Psychological Well-being among Police Officers in Benue State Police Command. The result further showed that, Operational Stress and Coping Strategies jointly influenced Psychological Well-being of Police Officers in Benue State Police Command. Finally, Selfdistraction, Denial, Active Coping, Substance Use, Instrumental Support, Venting, Planning, Acceptance and Religion did not significantly mediate the relationship between Operational Stress and Psychological Well-being among Police Officers; while Emotional Support, Behavioral Disengagement, Positive Reframing, Humor, and Self-blame significantly mediated the relationship between Operational Stress and Psychological Well-being among Police Officers in Benue State Police Command. Based on the findings, it was recommended that, Police Officers should be enlightened on how to manage Operational Stress and develop good coping strategies. On policy basis, it was recommended that, Government should evolve policies that are aimed at training and retraining Police Officers on appropriate Coping Strategies; which will help in reducing Operational Stress and on the other hand increase high level of Psychological Well-being among Police Officers. Also, Non-governmental organizations with caring mind should support Police with logistics that will help reduce Operational Stress. This will help to achieve high state of Psychological Well-being and enhance better policing among Police Officers. Finally, more researches should be encouraged on the subject matter for further identification of long term solutions to problems affecting Psychological Well-being of Police Officers in Benue State Police Command in particular, and Nigeria at large.

Psychometric properties and invariance of the Police Stress Questionnaire in the Romanian context

This research evaluates the psychometric properties of the Romanian version of the Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ), featuring operational and organizational stress scales for police officers. We conducted three studies to test the reliability and validity of this questionnaire. The first study (N = 744) aimed at adapting and validating the Romanian version on the specific population. Confirmatory factor analysis of our two-factor model, each with 20 items grouped in a second-order factor, showed the good value of the fit indices: χ²(738) = 1420.11, p < .001; CFI = 0.992; TLI = 0.992; RMSEA = 0.035 [90% CI 0.033, 0.038]; SRMR = 0.059. Subsequently, we tested measurement invariance, demonstrating that the Romanian version of this questionnaire measures workplace stress (including operational and organizational stress factors) independently of the work environment (police officers vs. correctional officers). The second study (N = 394) confirmed PSQ’s convergent validity through positive correlations with stress perception, burnout, mental health complaints, and psychological distress and its discriminant validity through negative correlations with job satisfaction and work engagement. The third study tested the longitudinal invariance of the stress questionnaire for police (N = 317). The findings suggest that the PSQ is a reliable and valid tool, highlighting its significant impact on the well-being of Romanian police officers by facilitating stress management interventions through baseline and ongoing stress assessment. Future research should longitudinally assess police stress, incorporating multi-source data and diverse units, as well as exploring the impact of socio-demographic aspects for broader insights.

Stress shield - A police stress management mobile application

Stress shield - A police stress management mobile application

Prevalence of work-related burnout and associated factors among police officers in central Gondar zone, Northwest Ethiopia, 2023.

Work-related burnout is a state of physical and psychological fatigue and exhaustion resulting from chronic workplace stress related to work. The police workforce is vulnerable to this psychosocial hazard, which affects service delivery by police workers. However, there is little evidence about the prevalence of work-related burnout and associated factors among police officers in Ethiopia. Therefore, this research investigated the prevalence and predictor variables of work-related burnout among police officers in central Gondar zone, Northwest Ethiopia, 2023. An institution-based cross-sectional study was carried out from April 12 to May 12, 2023. A sample of 633 police officers was recruited through multistage random sampling techniques. To measure work-related burnout, a standardized, self-administered Copenhagen Burnout Inventory was used. To enter the collected data, EpiData V 4.6 and to analyze SPSS V 26 were used. To examine the association between work-related burnout and its predictor variables, both bivariable (p < 0.2) and multivariable (<0.05) logistic regression analyses were performed, and statistical significance was established via multivariable logistic regression. The response rate in this study was 96.05% (n = 608). The majority, 452 (74.3%) of the police officers, were male; the median (IQR) age of participants was 28. In the past six months, 45.7% of the police officers had experienced work-related burnout (n = 278). Being female, having a high job demand, having a high level of organizational police stress, having a moderate level of operational police stress, having a high level of operational police stress, experiencing job dissatisfaction, and sleeping troubles were risk factors significantly related to the occurrence of work-related burnout among police officers. According to this study, a significant number of police officers suffer from burnout due to their work. Police officers' work-related burnout was found to be influenced by factors such as sex, job demands, job satisfaction, workplace stress, organizational police stress, and sleeping troubles. To address this problem, improving the handling of work pressure, developing a stress management program, finding joy at work by improving interpersonal relationships and working conditions, offering support and inspiration to female police officers, and ensuring sufficient and restful sleep are advised.

More than Psychometric Properties of the Fear of Covid-19 Scale. The Struggle of the Portuguese Police Officers

The Covid-19 pandemic conveyed consequences for people’s physical and mental health. During the worst pandemic scenarios, police officers were one of the most exposed populations. This situation brought these professionals unusual responsibilities, such as adjust work shifts and allocate police officers from operational and administrative services to the Covid-19 supervision teams and put them at an elevated risk of contracting the virus because they are also frontline workers too, and they often did not have personal protective equipment. Due to this, the main objective of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of a Portuguese version of the Fear of Covid-19 among police officers, as well as to know how the fear of Covid-19 relates to the mental health during the worst wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Portugal. Participants were 174 police officers aged between 23 and 58 years old (M = 40.81; SD = 6.83) who completed the Fear of Covid-19 Scale, the Operational Police Stress Questionnaire, and the Posttraumatic Disorder Checklist for DSM-5. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a good adjustment fit for the two-factor model. Construct validity was supported, and the internal consistency was good for both periods of assessment. The model proved invariant for both groups (pre and during lockdown) at the measurement, scalar, and structural levels. Study findings suggest that the Portuguese Version of FCV-19S is a reliable measure to assess the fear of Covid-19 among police officers, including during the pandemic development.

Impact of Shiftwork on Retinal Vasculature Diameters over a 5-Year Period: A Preliminary Investigation Using the BCOPS Study Data.

Our aim was to investigate the impact of shiftwork on changes in central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE), a measure of arteriolar width, and central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE), a measure of venular width, over five years. The participants were 117 officers (72.7% men) examined at the first (2011-2014) and second (2015-2019) follow-up examinations in the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress study. Shiftwork data were obtained from the City of Buffalo, NY payroll records. Retinal diameters were measured using a standardized protocol. ANCOVA was used to compare mean change in CRAE and CRVE between the two examinations across shiftwork categories. Among men only, those who worked ≥70% hours on day shifts had a larger decrease in mean CRAE (-7.13 µm ± 2.51) compared to those who worked <70% day (-0.08 ± 0.96; p = 0.011). Among patrol officers, those who worked ≥70% day had a larger decrease in CRAE compared to those who worked <70% day (p = 0.015). Also, officers who worked ≥70% day had an increase in mean CRVE (µm) (4.56 ± 2.56) compared to those who worked <70% (-2.32 ± 1.32; p = 0.027). Over the five-year period, we observed adverse changes in arteriolar and venular diameters among officers who worked ≥70% on day shifts. The results should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample sizes.

Work-Related Stress and Psychological Distress among Law Enforcement Officers: The Carolina Blue Project.

Law enforcement is a stressful occupation that places significant psychological demands on those serving in this role. However, little is known about the severity of work-related stress and psychological distress among law enforcement officers (LEOs) in North Carolina (NC). This cross-sectional study examined the severity of work-related stress and psychological distress among 283 LEOs in NC. The Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Operational Police Stress Questionnaire, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale, and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist were used to assess burnout, operational police stress, depression, anxiety, stress, and PTSD among LEOs. Descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, one-way ANOVA, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed. Rural and male LEOs reported higher burnout levels related to depersonalization (i.e., increased mental distance from one's job) compared with their urban and female counterparts. LEOs exposed to toxic materials or performing patrol duties exhibited higher operational police stress levels than those who did not. Caucasian LEOs exhibited higher depression, anxiety, and stress than their African American counterparts. Rural LEOs and LEOs who were exposed to toxic materials displayed higher levels of PTSD than their counterparts. Our findings highlight the need for increased mental health support and better working environments for LEOs.

Psychological Well-Being and Job Satisfaction of Kenyan Police Officers

Purpose: Police work is a high risk job in terms of stress and low psychological wellbeing. In Kenya, police officers have presented high levels of suicide, homicide, assault and intimate partner abuse and this has become a matter of concern. &#x0D; Methodology: This theoretical paper applies the hermeneutic phenomenological approach to study psychological wellbeing and job satisfaction of police officers as a phenomenon and how it affects police work. Extensive and systematic literature review is done using search engines like google scholar, web of science and Scopus. The search includes historical and contemporary scholarly data which reveals how police work is understood by scholars and the media. This data is then assessed and interpreted to discern the emerging patterns, findings and conclusions.&#x0D; Findings: Statistics on the Kenya police service indicate that 20,000 police officers are either depressed or they present with various psychological disorders. Between 2016 and 2020 police have recorded within their ranks across the country 13 murders and 11 suicides per year without a break. Systematic literature view has revealed that high psychological wellbeing of police officers is imperative in order to remove or reduce psychological morbidity in police work. This not only decreases turnover, but also retains talent, and increases productivity. High psychological wellbeing also spills over to work teams and families in terms of happiness and wellbeing. Analysis of literature has also revealed that job satisfaction is one of the facets of psychological wellbeing at the work place.&#x0D; Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: This paper proposes that police managers, and stakeholders should proactively put in place strategies that enhance job satisfaction and therefore improve the psychological wellbeing of police officers. Researchers in partnership with police management should also address the knowledge gap in explaining how police stressors finally precipitate the high rates of murders and suicide and implement solutions.

Psychosocial Work Conditions as Determinants of Well-Being in Jamaican Police Officers: The Mediating Role of Perceived Job Stress and Job Satisfaction.

Policing is considered a high-stress occupation due to the demanding nature of the job. Addressing police stress requires a detailed understanding of how psychosocial risk factors influence various aspects of their well-being. Moreover, an analysis of the direct effects of work conditions and the mediating effects of cognitive appraisals is also warranted. Using the Demands-Resources-Individual Effects (DRIVE) model of work-related stress this study investigated the direct effects of work conditions on well-being and also examined the intermediate role of perceived job stress and job satisfaction in the relationship between work conditions and well-being. Five hundred and seventy-eight police officers from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (J.C.F.) completed the questionnaire. Data were analyzed using hierarchical regressions and the Hayes Process tool for mediation analysis. Both perceived job stress and satisfaction mediated the relationship between work conditions and general physical health. Perceived job stress was an indirect pathway through which work conditions influenced psychological distress, whereas job satisfaction was not a significant mediator. In contrast, job satisfaction mediated the relationship between work conditions and positive well-being, but perceived job stress did not. These findings provide significant evidence for periodically monitoring and auditing perceptions of stress and job satisfaction, as they are likely precursors to subsequent health problems.

The effects of Access Bars on depression, anxiety, and stress in police officers: A case series.

You are here: Home › Abstracts › Abstracts – Volume 15, Number 2, November 2023 › The Effects of Access Bars on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress inPolice Officers doi 10.9769/EPJ.2023.15.2.TH Terrie Hope, Houston, Texas, USA Hope, T. (2023). The effects of Access Bars on depression, anxiety, and stress in police officers: A case series. Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 15(2), 33–42. Abstract: Police officers in the United Kingdom (UK) have clinical levels of anxiety and depression and comorbid presentations of major depression and anxiety, at rates significantly higher than reported in the general population. Risk of stress is significant and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among police officers is now at a crisis level in the UK, affecting one in five officers. Complex PTSD (the result of chronic exposure to trauma) affects 12% of the working police population, resulting in a diminishing number of working officers. Access Bars, a noninvasive energy technique was evaluated for its effects on depression, anxiety, stress, and PTSD, presented either singularly or in a comorbid state using subjective self-report measures. Methods: This case series included participants (n = 4) aged between 36 and 52 years who were police officers referred for treatment with a clinical diagnosis of one or more of depression, anxiety, stress, or PTSD. All participants had been previously treated with standardized methods and continued to present with mild to severe symptoms. Treatments were provided by a licensed Access Bars Facilitator at a naturopathic clinic in Hampshire, UK. The primary measure was the standardized self-report method, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale–21 (DASS-21), with the addition of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) to evaluate PTSD in one participant. All were evaluated prior to receiving seven 60-minute sessions over seven weeks, with post evaluations upon completion of the last session. Results: All methods of evaluation showed a decrease in scores for all post measurements. DASS-21 depression scores had the highest pre scores, with 75% in the extremely severe category. Mean scores declined from 31 to 7.5 (75%, p = 0.02). Mean anxiety scores decreased from 20 to 12 (59%, p = 0.007) and mean stress scores declined from 24 to 8.5 (64%, p = 0.002). A secondary classification of a single participant classified as “acute needs” (AN; n = 1) had additional psychometric evaluations using BAI and PCL-5. BAI scores decreased from 26 to 16 (38%, p = 0.001) and PCL-5 scores declined from 38 to 18 (20 points or 51%, p &lt; 0.001). An 18-point decrease for PCL-5 is considered a clinically significant change. Conclusion: Treatment with Access Bars showed a significant decrease in depression, anxiety, and stress in police officers where significant symptoms remained after standardized treatments. Simultaneous improvement was demonstrated in comorbid anxiety, depression, and stress. These results suggest that Access Bars shows promise as a treatment for depression, anxiety, and stress and may contribute to clinical improvement in PTSD. Keywords: Access Bars, depression, anxiety, stress, police officers, PTSD, trauma

Enhancing Self-Reported Assessment of Working Conditions in Policing: Revisiting the Psychometric Properties and Applications of the Police Stress Questionnaire.

Policing is recognized as a highly stressful occupation, encompassing stressors not commonly encountered in other fields. In response, police-specific stress scales have been developed and used when studying police work. Despite changes in the composition of police personnel, most studies examining police working conditions focus on sworn police officers (SPO), excluding employees without police education (EWPE). To advance research and practice on stress in the police, align results, and increase the possibilities for comparisons across studies using police-specific measures (PSMs) we conducted a psychometric evaluation of the two scales in the Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ). We examined whether adding "Not Applicable" to the response scales would reduce vulnerability and make the PSQ more robust. Based on a survey with a randomised sample (N = 560) of SPO and EWPE in the Norwegian Police, we tested the original factor structures of the PSQ through Confirmatory Factor Analysis including tests of factor structures from previous studies. For all models, the indicators of fit indicated a poor fit with either our whole or stratified sample. The response choice 'Not Applicable' provided extended information for SPOs and EWPEs on the PSQ. To promote aligning results and enabling comparisons across studies using the PSQ, we suggest treating the PSQ scales as formative indexes, rather than reflective scales. Adding "Not Applicable" to the response scale offers an influential elaboration of the PSQ with beneficial and extended information. Generalised studies of stress in the police should include the entire population working there.

Validation and Psychometric Properties of the German Operational and Organizational Police Stress Questionnaires.

Working in the police force is an operationally and organizationally stressful job. Suitable psychometric tools are needed to detect and study the psychosocial risks of these professionals. The original version contains 40 items, which may be too long for clinical use or as a research control measure. The main aim of this study is to validate the Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) in German. The secondary objective is to validate a shorter version. After translation and counter translation of the PSQ-G by a committee of experts, 10 participants pre-tested the comprehension of an intermediate version, allowing the development of a final version that was submitted to a psychometric validation plan with 2314 German-speaking officers. Structure, reliability, and convergent, divergent, and discriminant validities were tested for each sample. The German version of the PSQ performed well psychometrically. We have created a short version of 14 items with good psychometric properties, 7 items for each subscale: operational stressors and organizational stressors. This study validated a German version of the PSQ and provides a reliable measure of stress processes in the police force. A short version is now available.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Police Employees: A Survey Study

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders are a widespread and increasing occupational health problems worldwide. The disorders that result from work related event are known as “work related musculoskeletal disorders” where workers experience discomfort in one or multiple body parts, pain in joints, tingling and swelling. MSDs are reported to significantly impact on quality of life, cause lost work time, increase work restriction, or disability. The police have high possibility of showing musculoskeletal pains due to rough physical activities, including duties, traffic control, driving, security, sports and drills, and handling heavy equipment, and are highly hospitalized or treated. Aim and Objectives: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of Musculoskeletal disorders in Police Employees. Methodology: The study was conducted among 100 police employees. The data was collected using Self - Administered Questionnaire, Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and Operational Police Stress Questionnaire. Result and conclusion: The 12-month prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among police employees was 72%. Neck pain (51%) was found to be most prevalent followed by lower back (45%). The occurrence of Musculoskeletal Disorders was associated with factors such as age, work experience, longer working hours per day, daily alcohol consumption, and prolonged seated posture. Additionally, the study identified various operational stressors among police employees, including shift work, working alone at night, high overtime demands, fatigue, and unhealthy eating habits at work. Thus, strategies should be implemented to manage shifts, provide support and resources, promote healthy lifestyles, and mitigate fatigue, ultimately fostering a healthier and more resilient workforce that benefits both individual officers and overall law enforcement effectiveness. Keywords: Prevalence, Musculoskeletal Disorders, Risk Factors, Police Employees.

Musculoskeletal complaints, postural patterns and psychosocial workplace predictors in police officers from an organizational unit of a German federal state police force - a study protocol

BackgroundPolice officers are exposed to a particularly high risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and psychosocial stress due to their working conditions. Therefore, the aim of this project will be to assess the occupational physical and mental health of police officers from an organizational unit of the police force of a German federal state.MethodsThe aim is to analyze at least 200 active police officers of a state police force in Germany between the age of 18 and 65 years. In a mixed-methods design, a video raster stereography-based measurement of the upper body posture and a modified version of the Nordic Questionnaire (NQ) will be used for investigating their physical health, while the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) and the Operational Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-Op) will be used to analyze their mental health. In addition, job-specific psychosocial factors at the workplace will be assessed (using self-designed questions that were previously evaluated in an expert interview).DiscussionTo date, there is a lack of current questionnaire-based data on the prevalence of MSDs in police officers, or of MSDs associated with injuries or psychosocial workplace factors. Thus, in this study, these MSDs will be correlated with quantitative upper body posture data. If these results prove an increased physical and/or psychosocial stress, then the existing workplace health promotion measures should be analyzed and modified if necessary.

Developing a Sustainable Workplace: A Study on Workplace Stress and Individual Interventions to Manage Stress in Guwahati Traffic Police

The current study has been conducted in the field of occupational stress of traffic police personnel. Studies have found out that administrators are very much prone to stress. In line with this, as the traffic police personnel have been entrusted with administering and managing smooth functioning of road transport, it is significant that a study in this regard should be carried out. The study has covered 35 traffic police personnel working as ‘Constables’ and finding their prime cause of stress has been the objective of the study. For the purpose of collecting the data Operational Police Stress Questionnaire developed by McCreary and Thompson (2006) has been opted for. It shows that the study group is highly stressed as the scores are far above the cut off line. It is worth mentioning that the organization does not have any particular way (institutional arrangement) to deal with stress and related issues.

OCCUPATIONAL STRESS, MENTAL STATUS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS OF POLICE OFFICERS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN SOUTH INDIA

Context: Policing being a stressful job already places police ofcers at a greater risk of mental health deterioration in emergencies like pandemics. Aims: To assess the occupational stress faced by the police ofcers and the stressors associated, mental status of the police ofcers and their psychological needs during the pandemic were assessed. Settings and Design: This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study done in midNovember during the last phase of Covid-19 unlock in India. Police ofcers of all cadre working in south India were included in the study. Methods and Material:The questionnaire consisted of 4 components to obtain data on demographic and occupational details, occupational stress, mental status, and psychological needs. Occupational stress was assessed using Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-Op) and mental status was evaluated using the DSM-5 Self Rated Level-1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure-Adult questionnaire. The questionnaires made were sent as Google form link to police ofcers of all cadre working in various regions. Statistical analysis used: Data obtained was entered into MS Excel and analysed using IBM SPSS version 21 software. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis of data. Tests of signicance were done. Results: The response rate was &lt;10%. The sample population comprised 110 ofcers of which 97(88.2%) were males and 13(11.8%) were females. The mean age of the sample population was 40.22±8.878 years. Around 97% of ofcers experienced signicant occupational stress during the Covid-19 pandemic. Not enough time available to spend with family followed by over-time demands and shift work found to be signicantly associated with work stress. Female ofcers were under more work stress compared to male ofcers. Approximately 87% were found to have symptoms of anxiety which necessitates further investigation. Around 90% of the ofcers reported that they experienced higher psychological distress during the pandemic compared to before. Around 17% of the ofcers stated that they needed psychological support and counseling from experts to cope with their stress. Relaxation followed by a stronger relationship between police and the public were the most preferred psychological needs. Around 43.6% of ofcers and their family members were diagnosed with Covid-19 so far. Conclusions: To address the psychological needs and mental health problems of the police ofcers especially during unexpected situations like pandemics is the need of the hour. Stigmatization towards mental health in India should be addressed. Police ofcers should be encouraged and trained to use preventive measures against Covid-19 as they are at a greater risk of exposure to the virus.