Organizational and Occupational Stressors, Their Consequences and Coping Strategies: A Questionnaire Survey among Italian Patrol Police Officers

Abstract

Background: Traditionally, workers employed in police forces have been found to be exposed to a high risk of distress. Several studies reported that the main stressors were associated more with organizational aspects, whilst other researchers underlined that the main stressor were associated more with operational issues. The aim of this research was to investigate operational and organizational stressors, their consequences also in terms of anxiety and the coping strategies adopted. Methods: We compared Patrol Police Officers working in the Operational Service (Outdoor Patrol Officers) and those in the Interior Department (Indoor Patrol Officers) in the same Municipal Police force. Results: The results revealed that both Outdoor Patrol Officers and Interior Patrol Officers suffered from organizational and occupational stressor. Outdoor Patrol Officers appeared more willing to use different coping strategies, whereas Indoor Patrol Officers used avoidance strategies. This allows Outdoor Patrol Officers to explore new responses and approaches to deal with situations which—owing to the type of work—it is impossible to change. Outdoor Patrol Officers appeared better equipped to change their attitude to work than Indoor Patrol Officers. Conclusion: Interventions on both organizational and operational stressors would improve the quality of Patrol Police Officers’ working life and have positive repercussions on the service offered to the general public.

Mediating role of coping style on the relationship between job stress and subjective well-being among Korean police officers

“…However, in the sub-category of job stress, the scores for insufficient job control and organizational system of the participants were high. This result is consistent with that of previous studies that police officers experience high organizational stress and it is difficult to handle their working situation [29,30]. It can be said that a police officer's stress involves operational and organizational aspects.…”

“…The results of the mediating model indicate that coping was a strong mediator for job stress and PA as well as job stress and life satisfaction. These results are consistent with those of previous studies that suggest that the factor most influencing police officers' job stress is adaptive coping strategy [29]. This is similar to a study showing that coping mediates between work demands and psychological tensions [37].…”

“…This seems to apply to Korean police officers, because they might have some difficulties to control the work environment and hierarchical organizational system. These results are consistent with studies of police officers in Italy and Sweden showing that police officers use avoidance coping in their work [1,29]. A study of Italian police officers found that the cause of this result was organizational stress, which includes a bravado and masculine culture [29,32].…”

“…These results are consistent with studies of police officers in Italy and Sweden showing that police officers use avoidance coping in their work [1,29]. A study of Italian police officers found that the cause of this result was organizational stress, which includes a bravado and masculine culture [29,32]. In addition, in a systematic literature review, avoidance coping was shown to be related to organizational stress such as can be seen in military service [3,32].…”

Physical Practice and Wellness Courses Reduce Distress and Improve Wellbeing in Police Officers

“…To cope with distress, police officers use different strategies. The literature results have shown that police officers use both maladaptive (such as alcohol misuse) and adaptive (such as humor) coping strategies, which have had different impacts on individual wellbeing; the use of avoidant strategies causes a higher level of distress, which could become chronic [ 16 ]. To improve the ability to manage distress, scholars have purposed various programs to promote health, wellness, and safety.…”