Factors contributing to formation of mental traumatization in police officers in emergency of medical and biological nature

Abstract

The work is aimed at identifying factors that contribute to the mental trauma formation in police officers in performance of official duties in the COVID-19 pandemic. There are presented the results of continuous empirical study of 118 male employees of the Main Directorate, Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Moscow aged 30.9±1.5 years; service experience – 5.6±1.9 years. They were healthy individuals, who did not have clinical manifestations of COVID-19, but were released from official duties as contacts with COVID-19 patients, for the period from 10.04.2020 to 9.06.2020 (the period of restrictive measures and self-isolation, announced by the decree of the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation on 30.03.2020 No. 9 “On additional measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19” in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic) – the main group. The comparison group consisted 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 public order in crowded places. The study was conducted in the online form with digital resources. It was showed that both groups noted the increase of tension and complexity of service during antiepidemic measures, the presence of emotional swings, coronavirus infection fear. The situational and personal anxiety indicators were significantly lower in the main group than in the comparison group. The effect of such factors as emotional burnout with anxious maladjustment and reduced neuro-mental stability, mental fatigue, fatigue from performance of official duties (while positive attitude to the future combined with rare alcohol consumption prevent formation of non-adaptive mental states during performance of the official duties in extreme conditions) on formation of mental trauma in employees that continue to serve during COVID-19 was revealed. The obtained data are recommended to be taken into account when conducting psycho-correction work and developing programs for medical and psychological rehabilitation of police officers under the longterm influence of psychosocial professional stress.