International Journal of Social Science & Economic Research
Submit Paper

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

Authors:
SHIDE SUNDAY

|| ||

SHIDE SUNDAY
Department of Police Professional Studies, Nigeria Police Academy Wudil, Kano State, Nigeria

MLA 8
SUNDAY, SHIDE. "Operational Stress and Psychological Well-Being Among Police Officers in Benue State Police Command: The Mediating Role of Coping Strategies." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, vol. 9, no. 7, July 2024, pp. 2045-2091, doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2024.v09i07.002. Accessed July 2024.
APA 6
SUNDAY, S. (2024, July). Operational Stress and Psychological Well-Being Among Police Officers in Benue State Police Command: The Mediating Role of Coping Strategies. Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, 9(7), 2045-2091. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2024.v09i07.002
Chicago
SUNDAY, SHIDE. "Operational Stress and Psychological Well-Being Among Police Officers in Benue State Police Command: The Mediating Role of Coping Strategies." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research 9, no. 7 (July 2024), 2045-2091. Accessed July, 2024. https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2024.v09i07.002.

References

[1]. Abraham, M. (2017).Psychological Work Environment, Organizational Justice and Work-family Conflict as Predictors of Malaysian Police Officers Psychological Well-being. Australia: Victoria University Press.
[2]. Abraham, A. (2016) Work Place Stress: Health Available on https://workstress.org. Retrieved on the 14th February, 2024.
[3]. Akinsola, H. A. (2005). Research Methods in Medical and Nursing Practice. Ibadan: Collage Press Publishers Limited.
[4]. Alicia, B., Rolando, R., Alejandra, A., & Ixa, I. (2017). Inter-Role Conflict and Psychological Well-BeingAmongst Employed Fathers. Journal of Occupational Behavior; 12, 39 – 53.
[5]. Andrew F. H. (2018). PROCESS Procedure for SPSS Version 3.5.3. Available on Hayes www.guilford.com/p/hayes3. Retrieved on the 5th January, 2024
[6]. Archontakil, A., Lewis, J., & Bates, K. (2012). Veersrils of Records Online: Personality and Individual Differences. Journal of Personality. (2) 81, 223-244.
[7]. Balaguer, B., Castilo, E., & Duda, D. (2018). The Role of Factor Analysis in the Development and Evaluation of Personality Scales. Unpublished Master Thesis. The Erciyes University, Social Sciences Institute, Kayseri, Turkey.
[8]. Barbara, L. K. (2001). The Role of Positive Emotion in Positive Psychology. U.S.A: National Library of Medicine Publishers.
[9]. Benniet, B. (2000). Work Stressors and Employee Outcomes. New Zealand: Guilfording Publishers.
[10]. Blanding, M. (2020). Workplace Stress Responsible for Healthcare Costs. USA: HBS Publishers.
[11]. Boscariho, G, (2006). The Meaning that Police Officers Make of their Work: A Phenomenological Study of Police Occupation Work Stress. Unpublished Dissertation. University of Massachusetts.
[12]. Bowman, M. D. (2006). The Loss of Talent: why Local and State Law Enforcement Officers Resign to Become Agent. Journal Public Personnel Management 35(2) 121 – 136.
[13]. Brannon, M.,& Feilst, J. (2004).Organizational Stress and Job Satisfaction. Journal of Social Psychology. 100(2), 235-244.
[14]. Carlos, H. A. (2019). Maintenance of Satisfaction in Romantic Relationships: Empathy and Relational Competence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 397-410.
[15]. Carver, C. S. (1997). You Want to Measure Coping but your Protocol’s Too Long: Consider the Brief COPE. International Journal of Behaviour Medicine, 4, 92-100
[16]. Charles, N. (2019). The Influence of Shift Work and Occupational Stress on Job Satisfaction Among Police. Nigeria: Olandus Printers.
[17]. Charles, R., Figley, F., & Williams, P. N (1946). Combat Stress Injury, Research and Management. Available on http://www.va.gov/Res-manag.com. Retrieved on 22nd February, 2020.
[18]. Christopher, J. B. (2015). Effect of Job Stress on Psychological Well-being among Police Officers in Plateau Metropolis. Jos: Cholom Printers.
[19]. Cletus, T. E. (2017). Coping Strategies and Distress Reduction. Journal of Psychopathology, 23 (4), 227.
[20]. Cooper, C. L. (2005). Executive Stress Goes Global. International Journal of Management, 15 (4), 42 – 48.
[21]. Coopera, C.L.,& Marshall, J. (1976). Occupational Sources of Stress: A Renew of the Literature Relating to Coronary Heart Disease and Mental Ill Health. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 49, 11-28.
[22]. Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1985). The NEO Personality Inventory Manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources; 132-142.
[23]. Dalare, D. J. (2001). Veterans Health Care Service Standards. Washington DC: Veterans Health Administration.
[24]. Danana, K., & Griffin, R. W. (2019). Health and Well-Being in the Workplace. A Review and Synthesis of the Literature. Journal of Management. 25 (2), 357 – 384.
[25]. Dangana, B. (2013) Job Stress, Job Satisfaction and Mental Health. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. 1, 224 – 234.
[26]. David, D. (2014). Role Theory and Social Work Treatment. In F.J Turner (Ed). Social Work Treatment. Interlocking Theoretical Approaches (581 – 600). New York: The Free Press.
[27]. David, E. (2013). Coping Strategies and Psychological Well-Being. International Journal of Human Development, 62, 131-143.
[28]. Deci, E., & Ryan, R.M. (2014). Self Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation and Social Determination: Theoretical overviews and research reviews. 6 (2), 234-244.
[29]. Diener, E. Sanrik, E.,& Pavot, W. (1991). Happiness is Frequency and not the Intensity of Positive Versus Negative Affect. England: Pergamon Press.
[30]. Diener, E.D. (1984). "Subjective Well-Being". Psychological Bulletin. 95 (3): 542–575
[31]. Diener, E., & Lucas, R. (1999). Personality and Subjective Well-being. In D. Kahneman, E. Diener & N. Schwarz (Ed.), Well-Being: The Foundations of Hedonic Psychology. New-York: Russell Sage Foundation, 114-119.
[32]. Diener, E., (2017). Similarity of the Relations between Marital Status and Subjective Well-Being Across Cultures. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 31 (4), 419-436.
[33]. Diener, E., & Seligman, M.E.P. (2002). Very Happy People. Psychological Science. Journal of Research in Personality 13 (1), 81-84.
[34]. Diener, E., Lucas, R. E., & Oishi, S., (2018). Subjective well-being: The Science of Happiness and Life Satisfaction. In C.R. Snyder & S.J. Lopez (Ed.), Handbook of Positive Psychology. Oxford and New-York: Oxford University Press.
[35]. Driscoll, G., & Brought, L. (2003). Psychological Well-being and it Health Challenges. New York: Strong Land Publishers.
[36]. Duckan L.W. (2019). Operational Stress Mental Disorders. Brazil: Zion House Publishers.
[37]. Ealice, M., & Lawrence, A. (1984). Non Specific Response to Stress. Journal of Management Sciences 23 (1), 105-166.
[38]. Erratus, E. (2011). The Basis on Operational Stress In Military Delivery. Available on www.opratemen//grenetms.com. Retrieved on the 20th January, 2024.
[39]. Eugel, B . T (1985). Stress is a Noun! No, a Verb! No an Adjective. In TM Field, PM Mccabe and N Schneiderman (EDs), (1985). Stress and Coping New-York: Academic Press.
[40]. Foloronsho, C. (2015). Use Safety and Health Panels to Promote Mental Health Care at Workplace. Available on http://bernama.com/bernama/v5/general/php.Retrieved on 16th February, 2004.
[41]. George, D. & Miller, P. (1995). SPSS/PC+ Step by Step: A Simple Guide and Reference. Belcon, CA: United State Wadsworth Publishing Company.
[42]. Gerubes, C., & Moses, A. L. (2018). The Concepts of Operational Stress in Social Sciences. International Journal of Psychiatry, 5, 335-357.
[43]. Harold, H. (1960). The Effect of Job Related Stress on Psychological Well-Being. Journal of Human Development, 65, 216-220.
[44]. Harpold, J. A., & Feemster, S. L. (2002). Negative Influences of Police Stress. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 71(9), 1–6.
[45]. Harth, J. K., Schmidt, F. L.,& Keyes, C. L. (2002). Well-being in the Workplace and its Relationship to Business Outcomes: A Review of the Gall up Studies. In C. L. Keyes, & J. Haidt (Eds), Flourish: The Positive Person and the Good Life (205 – 224). Washington D.C: American Psychological Association.
[46]. Hobfoll, S.E. (1989). Conservation of Resources: a New Attempt at Conceptualizing Stress Process. Journal of American Psychologist. 44 (5), 13 – 524.
[47]. Huhtala, H., & Parzefall, M. F. (2017). A Review of Employee Well-being and Innovativeness: An Opportunity of a Mutual benefit. Journal of Creativity and Innovation Management, 16, 299 – 306.
[48]. Hunt, S. M., & Mckenna, S. P. (1992). A British Adaptation of the General Well-Being Index: A New Tool for Clinical Research. British Journal of Medical Economics 24: 960.
[49]. Ilevbare, M., & Ogunjemi, A, T. (2017). Psychological Factors Predicting Perceived Workplace Stress Among Policemen in a Zonal Division. European Scientific Journal. L. (10), 17-22.
[50]. James, H. (2017). The Universality of Psychological Well-being among Workers. USA: Robinson Publishers.
[51]. Jaramillo F., Nixon R., Sams D. (2005). The Effect of Law Enforcement Stress on Organizational Commitment. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, 28(2), 321-336.
[52]. John, A. S., & Pius, K. (2018). Discriminate Validity: Psychological Well-being Measures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, (14) 71, 616-628.
[53]. Johnson, D. (2019). Counter Operational Stress among Employees. New-York: Cure Land Publishers.
[54]. Johnson, O. J. (2016). An Introduction to Health Psychology: An Introduction to Healthy Behavior. Enugu: Chinedu Printing Press.
[55]. Kahneman, D. (1991). The Foundation of Hedonic Psychology. New-York: Rossel Sage Foundation Publishers.
[56]. Kim, M., Duda, M. A., Tomas, T. & Balanguer, B. (2018). Background, Personality, Job Characteristics, and Satisfaction with Work in a National Sample. Human Relations, 35, 119-133.
[57]. Krohne, H. W. (1993). Vigilance and Cognitive Avoidance as Concepts in Coping Research.
[58]. In H. W. Krohne, (ED), (1993). Attention and Avoidance. Strategies in Coping with Evasiveness (19-50). Seattle, W.A: Hogrefe & Huber publishers.
[59]. Laban, J. (1984). Enterim Report on the Operational Stress Injuries of Canada’s Veterans. Available on www.ducianstress.com. Retrieved on 20th April, 2020.
[60]. Lawrence, R. A. (1984). Police Stress and Personality Factors: A Conceptual Model. Journal of Criminal Justice, 12, 247– 263.
[61]. Lazarus, R. S. (1991). Psychological Stress in the Workplace. Journal of Social Behaviour and Personality, 6(4), 1-13.
[62]. Lazarus, R. S.,& Folkman, S. (1984). Stress Appraisal and Coping. New-York: New-York University Press.
[63]. Lazarus, R.S. (1990) Theory-Based Stress Measurement:Psychological Inquiry. New-york: Oxford University Press.
[64]. Larazus, R. S. (1966). Psychological Stress and the Coping Process. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishers.
[65]. Lazarus, R. S., & Smith, M. (1983). The Cost and Benefits of Denial. In S. Bentiz (Ed), Denial of Stress (1-30). New-York: International Universities Press.
[66]. Lazarus, R. S. (1999). Stress and Emotion: A New Synthesis. New York: Springer Publications.
[67]. Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal and Coping. New York: Springer Publications.
[68]. Locke, E.A.,& Taylor, M.S. (1990). Stress Coping and the Meaning of Work. In W. Nord &A.P. Brief (Eds.) The Meaning of Work. New-York: McGraw-Hill, 135-170.
[69]. MCGonagle, G.L., (1990).Brain Organization and Memory: Cells, Systems and Circuits. New-York: Oxford University Press.
[70]. McCreary, D. R., & Thompson M. M. (2013). The Operational Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQOP) Measurement Instrument Data Base for the Social Science. Available on www.midsscute.com. Retrieved on the 5th March, 2024
[71]. Miller, S. M. (1980). When is Little Information a Dangerous Thing? Coping with Stressful Events by Monitoring Versus Blunting. In S Levine and H Ursine (EDs) (1980).
[72]. Health and Coping (145-16,) New-York: Plenum Publishers.
[73]. Moses, J., & Abu, H. (2018). Coping Strategies on Student’s Psychological Well-Being. Available on www.psywellcop.com. Retrieved on the 25th February, 2024.
[74]. Mullen, B. & Suls, J. (1982). The Effectiveness of Attention and Rejection as Coping Styles: A Meta-Analysis of Temporal Differences. Journal of Psycho Somatic Research, 26, 43-49.
[75]. Nigeria Police Force, (2024). Department of Finance and Administration. State Headquarters, Makurdi.
[76]. Ogben, J.D. (2004). Managing Stressors. Canada: Reuben Cues Press.
[77]. OlaBisis, A. (2016). The Combination Feeling and Good Functioning. Akure: FUTA press.
[78]. Page, K., & VellaBrodrick, D. (2009). The ‘What’, ‘Why’ and ‘How’ of Employee Well-being: a New Model. Social Indicators Research, 90, 441 – 448.
[79]. Pamson, A., & John, D. (2020). Predictors of Nigerian Employee Psychological Well-being. Jos: Katako Printing Press.
[80]. Ryan, J., Richard, B., Deci, O.,& Edward, S. (2000).Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour. Dubai: Holder Arnoid Publication.
[81]. Ryff, C. D..& Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The Structure of Psychological Well-being Revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 69, 719 – 727.
[82]. Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is Everything or is it? Explorations on the Meaning of Psychological Well-Being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(6), 1069-1081.
[83]. Said, M. (2016). Workplace Stress: Health Epidemic of the 21st Century. Available on http://www.maltachamber.org. Retrieved on the 20th February, 2024.
[84]. Sandiso , B. & Nicole, D. (2019). Conscientiousness, Work Family Conflict and Psychological Well-Being amongst Police Officers in Alice, South Africa. Kamla Journal of Psychology, 4(1), 1-8.
[85]. Seligman, M. E. P., & Cskszentimihalyi, M. (2009). Positive Psychology: An Introduction. To Psychology. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, (6) 55, 5 -14.
[86]. Selye, H. (1956). Stress, Burn Out and Psychological Implication. New-York: Mc Graw-Hill Publishers.
[87]. Server, D., & Zochlous, B. J. (2010). Occupational Stress and Psychological Disorders. Journal of Health and Social Behavior (24) 1, 25-396.
[88]. Soul, D. Joshua, L. P., & Barnabas, U. (2014). Considering Stress in Police: A Study of the Origins, Prevalence and Severity of Stress Related Symptoms within a Country Police Force. Journal of Clinical Psychology 17 (2) 63 -64.
[89]. Solomon, B., Mark, D., & Johnson, K. (2015). The Relationship of Emotional Exhaustion to Work Attitudes, Job Performance and Organizational Citizenship Behaviours. Journal of Applied Psychology. 88(1), 160 – 169.
[90]. Stephane , R. (2015). A Critical Survey of Operational Stress. London: Reubass Publishers.
[91]. Sutton, R.,& Khan, R. L. (1984). Prediction, Understanding and Control as Antidotes to Organizational Stress. In J. Lorsch (Ed.) Handbook of Organizational Behaviour. Boston MA: Harvard University Press, 9-17.
[92]. Tov, L. & Diener, E. (2013), Subjective Well-Being. International Journal of Social Sciences.12(2), 132-140.
[93]. Trudel, T., Robinson, R. & Laban, J. (?2019). Healthy Minds, Safe Communities: Supporting our Public Safety Officers through a National Strategy for Operational Stress Inquires” (PDF). Available on www.Parl.gc.ca.com. Retrieved on 10th January, 2024.
[94]. Wright, T.A., & Bonett, D.G. (2019). The Role of Pleasantries and Activation – Based Well –
[95]. Being in Performance Prediction. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 2, 212 – 219.

ABSTRACT:
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, Self distraction, 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.

IJSSER is Member of