Coping Behavior of Criminal Police Officers at Different Stages of Professional Activity

Abstract

The results of the investigation of the peculiarities of the coping behavior and mechanisms of psychological protection of police officers at different stages of professional activity are presented in the article. The study involved 65 criminal police officers, who were divided into two groups depending on the length of service: the first group included 30 policemen of the initial professional training who were just accepted for a job in criminal police units, their length of service was 3 months (46.2%); the second group consisted of 35 officers of criminal police units with 5-15 years of service experience (53.8%). Research methods: theoretical methods involved the analysis and generalization of the provisions of social and psychological literature, classification; the empirical methods – psychodiagnostic test methods, including the questionnaire called “Professional Burnout”, the questionnaire for coping strategies, the questionnaire of Life Style Index. The majority of the police officers of both groups were determined to have a low level of professional burnout. It was diagnosed that when solving complex problems, police officers use similar copings (problem-solving planning, self-control, search for social support, careful actions) and the same mechanisms of psychological defense against stress (rationalization, projection, and objection) at different stages of professional activity. A number of statistically significant correlations were found between occupational burnout rates and psychological defense mechanisms and copings.