The COVID-19 pandemic was an extreme situation that had a traumatic impact on psychosocial groups that performed their official duties in contact with the infected and sick, including in the gender aspect. Police officers were widely involved in anti-epidemic measures to protect order and citizens safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study is to identify the emotional reactions features in female police officers - the Moscow police employees, carrying serving as public order guards in the COVID-19 pandemic emergency conditions. It is shown that female police officers, in contrast to male police officers, in emergency conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, showed greater neuro-psychic adaptability to stressful situations, despite increased situational and personal anxiety. When serving in crowded places, they showed anxiety not about their own health, but because of fears about the relatives possibility infecting. It is shown that it is expedient to develop differentiated psychosocial support personality-oriented programs for police officers, taking into account gender characteristics during medical and biological emergencies.

The COVID-19 pandemic consequences for police officers mental health, as a special occupational risk group, have not been practically studied. The police officers official activities performance in a biological and social emergencies adversely affects their emotional state, reduces the individual psychological resources and can cause mental health deterioration. The police officers mental trauma formation is influenced by social, service and personal factors, therefore, for the timely negative deviations detection in their mental health state, a measures set is needed to organize the medical, personnel and psychological services the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) interaction, to finalize the regulatory and scientific and methodological base to ensure their activities. The purpose is a methodological justification for improving the mental trauma prevention organization among police officers in biological and social emergencies caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. The methodological basis was the MIA governing documents comprehensive analysis, regulating the conduct of police officers medical and psychological support in emergencies. Results. Police officers mental trauma formation prevention is represented by the permanent differentiated accounting specifics and their division into certain groups according to the involvement in the disease degree: those who have a Coronavirus infection and are being treated in outpatient and inpatient conditions; those who are released from official duties, as contact with the sick; and those who continue to perform outdoor service in crowded places. A mechanism for police officers mental health state system monitoring using departmental electronic and digital resources for remote format and psycho-diagnostic examination mass scale has been developed. Conclusion. To increase the police officers mental trauma prevention effectiveness in medical and biological emergencies, a measures set is needed aimed at permanent registration and division into groups according to the involvement in the disease degree; coordinated MIA medical, personnel and psychological services interaction with consistent the specialists functions differentiation and the regulatory framework to ensure their activities refinement.

Relevance. Internal Affairs employees during the anti-epidemic measures of COVID-19 period protected public order and the safety of citizens in crowded places. During the pandemic, according to departmental statistics, morbidity rates in police officers were 6.6 times higher than in general population and close to the healthcare professionals. Due to police officers' professional activities, the COVID-19 pandemic was associated not only with high contamination risks, but also with certain emotional stress and destabilization.Intention. To identify mental traumatization features in police officers who serve to protect public order and citizens safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methodology. 371 male employees of the Internal Affairs Headquarters in Moscow were surveyed. Three groups were identified: Group I - 127 police officers (average age 33.3 ± 1.1 years, service experience 6.1 ± 1.3 years) with positive test results and COVID-19 clinical manifestations (mild and moderate severity, inpatient and outpatient treatment) over the period from 10.04.2020 to 9.06.2020 (the restrictive measures and self-isolation period announced by the decree of the Russian Chief State Sanitary Doctor on 30.03.2020 N 9 “On additional measures to prevent the COVID-2019 spread in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic”); Group II - 118 healthy police officers (average age 30.9 ± 1.5 years, service experience 5.6 ± 1.9 years), without COVID-19 clinical manifestations but released from their duties as contacts; Group III - 126 healthy police officers (average age 32.4 ± 1.5 years, service experience 7.1 ± 1.9 years) not released from their duties during the COVID-19 pandemic, who protected public order in crowded places (patrolling streets, metro duty, etc.). Our questionnaire was intended for self-assessing mental state, and experimental psychological examination was also included. To meet the anti-epidemic requirements, respondents were surveyed online using electronic digital resources.Results and Discussion. Based on self-assessment results, police officers in all groups showed high levels of well-being, mood, performance and emotional stability on duty during the COVID-19 pandemic.Mental traumatization in police officers of the Group 1 was associated with increased personal anxiety and responses to everyday situations tended to be maladaptive, with physical and verbal aggression, irritation. In Group 2 employees, mental trauma included emotional stress and situational anxiety associated with the COVID-19 risk. Healthy police officers who were not released from their duties during the COVID-19 pandemic and continued to serve as law enforcement officers in crowded areas were prone to non-constructive responses to stress in the form of feelings of guilt, hostility, and irritability. In all respondents, constructive business relationships with direct managers and additional financial incentives helped prevent psychological trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic.Conclusion. The study results justify developing an algorithm for psycho-prevention in police officers during medical and biological emergencies, including psychological support, social support and a positive social environment in service teams. This will help prevent the psychological trauma and borderline mental disorders in police officers and, accordingly, increase their personal reliability and reduce damage to the Department image.

Работа направлена на выявление факторов, способствующих формированию психической травматизации у сотрудников полиции при исполнении служебных обязанностей в условиях пандемии COVID-19. Представлены результаты сплошного эмпирического исследования 118 сотрудников подразделений Главного управления МВД России по Москве мужского пола, ввозрасте 30,9±1,5 года, стаж службы 5,6±1,9 года здоровые лица, не имевшие клинических проявлений COVID-19, но освобожденные от служебных обязанностей, как контактные с заболевшими COVID-19, за период с 10.04.2020 по 9.06.2020 г. (период ограничительных мер и самоизоляции, объявленный постановлением Главного государственного санитарного врача РФ от 30.03.2020 г. № 9 «О дополнительных мерах по недопущению распространения COVID-2019» всвязи с пандемией COVID-19 основная группа. Группа сравнения 126 здоровых полицейских в возрасте 32,4±1,5 года и со стажем службы 7,1±1,9 года, не освобождавшихся от служебных обязанностей в период пандемии COVID-19, несших службу по охране общественного порядка в местах большого скопления людей. Исследование проводилось в дистанционной форме с использованием электронных цифровых ресурсов. Показано, что респонденты обеих групп отмечали усиление напряженности и сложности службы во время проведения противоэпидемических мероприятий, наличие эмоциональных перепадов, страха заболеть коронавирусной инфекцией, у представителей основной группы показатели ситуативной и личностной тревожности были достоверно ниже, чем у группы сравнения. Выявлено влияние на формирование психической травматизации у сотрудников, продолжающих нести службу по охране общественного порядка в местах большого скопления людей в период COVID-19, таких факторов, как эмоциональное выгорание с тревожной дезадаптированностью и снижением нервно-психической устойчивости, психическое утомление, усталость от исполнения служебных обязанностей; при этом позитивный настрой на будущее в сочетании с редким употреблением алкоголя сдерживают формирование дезадаптивных психических состояний во время исполнения служебных обязанностей в экстремальных условиях. Полученные данные рекомендовано учитывать при проведении психокоррекционной работы и разработке программ медико-психологической реабилитации сотрудников полиции в условиях длительного влияния психосоциального профессионального стресса. The work is aimed at identifying factors that contribute to the mental trauma formation in policeofficers in performance of official duties in the COVID-19 pandemic. There are presented the resultsof continuous empirical study of 118 male employees of the Main Directorate, Russian Ministryof Internal Affairs in Moscow aged 30.9±1.5 years; service experience – 5.6±1.9 years. They werehealthy individuals, who did not have clinical manifestations of COVID-19, but were released fromofficial duties as contacts with COVID-19 patients, for the period from 10.04.2020 to 9.06.2020 (theperiod of restrictive measures and self-isolation, announced by the decree of the Chief State SanitaryDoctor of the Russian Federation on 30.03.2020 No. 9 “On additional measures to prevent the spreadof COVID-19” in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic) – the main group. The comparison groupconsisted of 126 healthy police officers aged 32.4±1.5 years, service experience – 7.1±1.9 years,who were not released from their duties during the COVID-19 pandemic and protected publicorder in crowded places. The study was conducted in the online form with digital resources. It wasshowed that both groups noted the increase of tension and complexity of service during antiepidemicmeasures, the presence of emotional swings, coronavirus infection fear. The situationaland personal anxiety indicators were significantly lower in the main group than in the comparisongroup. The effect of such factors as emotional burnout with anxious maladjustment and reducedneuro-mental stability, mental fatigue, fatigue from performance of official duties (while positiveattitude to the future combined with rare alcohol consumption prevent formation of non-adaptivemental states during performance of the official duties in extreme conditions) on formation ofmental trauma in employees that continue to serve during COVID-19 was revealed. The obtaineddata are recommended to be taken into account when conducting psycho-correction work anddeveloping programs for medical and psychological rehabilitation of police officers under the longterminfluence of psychosocial professional stress.