Do psychosocial factors affect the (occupational) well-being of German police officers? A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Psychological and social health is particularly important for police officers to perform their duties. Therefore, the present study identified and analysed relevant influencing psychosocial factors on officers of a state police unit in Germany. Methods: 253 (209 m/44f) police officers from a single, federal state police force in Germany volunteered to answer questionnaires which comprised the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) and the Operational Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-Op). In addition, based on the response behaviour to each question, an Item Response Theory (IRT; Rasch model) was applied. This calculated score (Rasch score) can be regarded as a predictor of well-being (COPSOQ) and work-related stress (PSQ-Op) and was correlated with age, body mass index (BMI), weight, height and years/hours of work. The significance level was set at 5%. Results: COPSOQ: police officers reported moderate to highlevels of emotional exhaustion (41.1%) despite moderate to balanced emotional workloads and the need to suppress emotions (38.33%). PSQ-Op: about one-third of the police officers found shift work moderately stressful (27.27%), while 22.55% reported work-related health problems. Both questionnaires revealed good collegial cooperation (> 90%) and satisfaction with this (> 90%). Rasch score: Rasch scores of the COPSOQ showed significant negative correlations with working hours (p = 0.001, rho = -0.16), higher body weight (p = 0.007, rho =-0.17) and higher body height (p = 0.003, rho = -0.19). A significant positive correlation was established between the officer´s age and their working years (p = 0.001, rho = 0.65). The Rasch scores of the PSQ-Op had a significant positive correlation with younger age (p = 0.001, rho = 0.21) and fewer working years (p = 0.03, rho = 0.13). No significant correlation was found between the Rasch scores of the PSQ-Op and COPSOQ. Conclusion: German police officers experienced moderate emotional strain accompanied by moderate emotional exhaustion, however, this had little influence on decision-making. Good collegial cooperation and low physical strain contributed to low-moderate stress levels. Overtime and working when ill may also be contributing factors for physical exhaustion. The majority of officers fulfilled their occupational duties with undiminished energy. Job-related factors, such as effective cooperation among colleagues, appeared to have a positive impact on mental health.