Occupational stress among police officers in Cape Coast Metropolis

Abstract

The police profession has been identified as one of the most stressful occupations in the world. Using the ABCX model of stress and stress process model (SPM), the study sought to examine factors that influence occupational stress among Police Officers in the Cape Coast Metropolis. The study adopted a cross-sectional design using mixed method approach of research. Stratified random sampling technique was used to sample 194 Police Officers from five police stations whiles purposive sampling technique was used to select six senior Police Officers and four Station Officers. Data were collected using both questionnaires and interview guide. The study revealed that majority of the Police Officers considered the organisational aspects of their work as more stressful as compared to the physical hazards associated with their work. Notable among these stressors included lack of accommodation for personnel, performing two or more responsibilities at the same time, inadequate or using poor quality equipment, public criticism and “never off duty”. The most common coping strategies used by Police Officers in the study were doing what has to be done one step at a time and thinking about how best to handle a problem. Findings revealed no significant differences between age, gender, ranks, years of service and perceived work stress. However, significant differences were found between marital status and educational levels of Police Officers. It was recommended that since stress was due more to organisational factors, efforts should be made by the police administration to take corrective measures such as changes within the police organisation and establishment of stress management programmes for Police Officers.