Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Coping with Work Stress in Police Employees

  • Published:
Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Present study endeavored to investigate the role of coping in work stress of police employees. A 3 × 2 factorial design with three levels of job hierarchy (officers, sub-inspectors, and constables) and two levels of job tenure [short job tenure (0–10 year) and long job tenure (above 10 year)] was used in present study. A total of 240 police personnel from Gorakhpur Zone (India) participated as respondents. Objective Work Stress Scale, Feeling of Work Stress Scale (Cooper 1983), and Coping Scale (Carver et al. 1989) were used to determine the level of work stress and coping of the police employees. ANOVA results revealed that the level of work stress varied across different groups of police personnel. More specifically, objective work stress was found greater in sub-inspectors than constables and officers while constables reported more feeling of work stress than sub-inspectors and officers, respectively. Furthermore, the different groups of police personnel differed on various forms of coping response, in which officers used more active- and adaptive-related coping strategies than sub-inspectors and constables, respectively. Contrary to this, constables used more maladaptive coping strategies than sub-inspectors and officers. Correlation results evinced that active- and adaptive-related coping responses have an inverse link with work stress, whereas maladaptive coping responses have a positive relationship with work stress. Findings have been discussed in the light of organizational and personal factors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen RD, Hitt MA, Green CR (1982) Occupational stress and perceived organizational effectiveness in formal groups. An examination of stress level and stress lyke. Pers Psychol 35:359–370

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Altman I (1975) The Environmental and Social Behaviour Monterey. C.a. Books/Cole

  • Baron R M, Rodin J (1978) Perceived control and crowding stress: Processes mediating the impact of spatial and social density

  • Beehr T, Bhagat R (1985) Introduction to human stress and cognition in organizations. In: Beehr T, Bhagat R (eds) Human stress and cognition in organizations. John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolger N (1990) Coping as a personality process: a prospective study. J Pers Soc Psychol 59(3):525–537

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caplan RD, Tripathi RC, Naidu RK (1985) Subjective past, present and future fit: effects on anxiety, depression and other indicators of well-being. J Pers Soc Psychol 48:180–197

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carver CS, Scheiver MF, Weintraub JG (1989) Assessing coping strategies: a theoretically based approach. J Pers Soc Psychol 56:267–283

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coman G, Evans (1991) Stressors Facing Australian Police in the 1990s, Police Studies. The International Review of Police Department 14(4):34–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper CL (1983) Identifying stressors at work: recent research developments. J Psychosom Res 27:369–376

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper CL (1987) Identifying stressors at work: recent research developments. J Psychosom Res 27:369–376

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deb S, Chakroborty T, Chatterjee P, Srivastava N (2006) The stress of traffic police officers and traffic constables under Kolkata Police: A comparative study. Indian Police J, BPR & D, MHR

  • Ingram JR (2007) The effect of neighborhood characteristics on traffic citation practices of the police. Journal of Police Quarterly 10:371–393

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jalowiec A, Power MJ (1981) Stress and coping in hypertensive and emergency room patients. J Nurs Res 30:168–182

    Google Scholar 

  • Karasek RA (2004) An Analysis Of 19 International Case Studies Of Stress Prevention Through Work Reorganization Using The Demand/Control Model. Journal of Bulletin of Science Technology Society 24:446–456

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kunce JJ, Anderson WP (1988) Assessment of nonpathological personality styles of policemen. J Clin Psychol 44(2):115–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus RS (1966) Psychological Stress and Coping Process. McGraw-Hill, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus (1993) From psychological stress to the emotions: a history of changing outlook. Annu Rev Psycho 44:1–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus RS, Folkman S (1984a) Stress appraisal and coping. Springer, New York, pp. 150–170

    Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus RS, Folkman S (1984b) Coping and adaptation. In: Gentry WD (ed) The handbook of Behavioural medicine. Guilford, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall J (1986) Towards an ecological understanding of occupational stress, special issue occupational and life stress and the family. Int Rev Appl Psychol 35:271–286

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mathur P (1995) Comparison of Psychological Characteristics in Probationers and Veteran Police Officers. Police Res Dev, BPR&D, MHA, Government of India, April–June, 32–50

  • Mishra PC, Srivastava S (1997) Organizational Commitment in relation to occupational stress and mental health of doctors. In: 84th Session of Indian Science Congress Association. University of Delhi, Delhi

  • Morash M, Haarr R, Kwak D-H (2006) Multilevel influences on police stress. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 22:26–43

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Police Commission (1979) First Report. Government of India

  • Nicolien K, Martin CE (2001) Occupational stress and the use of force by Dutch police officers. Journal of Criminal Justice and Behaviour 28:631–652

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pandey S, Srivastava S (2004) The role of coping in work stress-health relationship: A study on career woman. Stress Behav

  • Patrik M, Manuel E (2006) Violation between the police and the public: influence of work-related stress, job satisfaction, burnout, and situational factors. Journal of Criminal Justice and Behaviour 33:613–645

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pienaar J, Rothmann S, Fons JR, Vijver VD (2007) Occupational stress, personality traits, coping strategies, and suicide ideation in the south African police service. Journal of Criminal Justice and Behaviour 34:246–258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pillai VK (1987) A diagnosis of police stress: The case study of Ahmedabad city police. All India Police Serv Congr

  • Rajesh Kumar G, Raja Mohan S (2007) Stress management-an effective approach. A journal of Management Matter, LIBA’S Chennai 1(8):75–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramachandran G (1989) Can’t we reduce stress factors in the police? Administrative issues. SPIPA, Ahmedabad

    Google Scholar 

  • Saxena AK (2000) Quoted in “stress management in police” by A. K. Saxena, (2003). Indian Police J

  • Selye H (1978) The stress of police work. Police Stress 1:7–8

  • Schuler RS (1980) A role and expectancy perception model of participation in decision making. Acad Manag J 23:331–340

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh RK (2007) Stress management in CRPF. In: The Indian Police Journal. B P R & D, MHA, New Delhi

  • Singh AP (2010) The modifying role of perceived control and coping with the work stress- commitment relationship. Published doctoral dissertation DDU Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh AP (2013) Correlates of organizational commitment a study on police personnel. Radha Publication, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh AP, Pandey SP (2013) Work Stress in Police employees: The role of job hierarchy and job tenure. Indian Police J

  • Singhvi MK, Mathur CN (1997) Role stresses in the central reserve police officers

  • Sinha D (1990) The concept of psychosocial well-being: western and Indian perspectives. NIMHANS Journal 8:1–1

    Google Scholar 

  • Somodevilla SA (1978) The Psychologist’s role in the police department. The Police Chief 45:21–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Srivastava S (2002) Work stress, coping and health status among career oriented females. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Department of Psychology, D.D.U. Gorakhpur University

  • Suresh RS (1992) Stress and Burnout among Police Personnel: An Exploratory Study. In: Unpublished Ph.D. thesis. Department of Humanities and Social Science, I.I.T., Madras, pp 40–44

  • Thackrey RI (1981) The stress of boredom and monotony: a consideration of the evidence. Psychosom Med 43:165–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiwari SK (2006) Psychological correlates of organizational commitment: a study on railway personnel. In: Published Doctoral Dissertation. Lucknow University, Lucknow

  • Tiwari S (2009) Psychological Perspectives of Organizational Commitment, concept publishing company, New Delhi

  • Tiwari SK, Mishra, PC (2008) Work stress and health as predictors of organizational commitment. Indian Acad Appl Psychol

  • White SW (1980) The Management of Stress. In: Trojanwicz RC (ed) The environment of the first-line police supervisor. Prentice Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, pp. 189–216

    Google Scholar 

  • Yogreche YS, Mishra SPA (1990) Comparative study of organizational role stress between clerical and teaching female personnel. Personality Study and Group Behaviour 10:59–65

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Akhilabhagya Post Graduate College, Gorakhpur, UP, India

    Abhay Pratap Singh

Authors
  1. Abhay Pratap Singh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Abhay Pratap Singh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Singh, A.P. Coping with Work Stress in Police Employees. J Police Crim Psych 32, 225–235 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-016-9215-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-016-9215-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation