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Occupational Medicine 2005 55(2):113-120; doi:10.1093/occmed/kqi023
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Occupational Medicine, Vol. 55 No. 2 © Society of Occupational Medicine 2005; all rights reserved

Stress in the Norwegian police service

Anne Marie Berg1, Erlend Hem1, Bjørn Lau2, Kjell Håseth3 and Øivind Ekeberg1

1 Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, University of Oslo, Pb. 1111 Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway2 National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo, Norway3 Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

Background High levels of stress have been attributed to the conditions of police work, but there is little empirical evidence for this.

Aims To develop a new instrument to measure job stress in the police; to assess the most severe and frequent police stressors; to compare levels of stress according to the demographic and organizational factors; and to study stress in relation to personality traits, work locus of control and coping strategies.

Methods A comprehensive nationwide questionnaire survey of 3272 Norwegian police at all hierarchical levels, including the Norwegian Police Stress Survey (NPSS), the Job Stress Survey, the Basic Character Inventory, the Work Locus of Control Scale, and the Coping Strategies Scale.

Results Work injuries were appraised as the most stressful but least frequent stressor and job pressure was reported the least severe but most frequent stressor. Females experienced job stressors less frequently, but appraised them as more severe than men did. Older police officers reported more job pressure severity and fewer work injuries. The police in districts where peer support was planned but not implemented, and who worked in districts with more than 50 000 inhabitants, perceived the lack of support more severely than others. The correlations between stress and personality traits, work locus of control, and coping were moderate.

Conclusions The NPSS captures police-specific stressors that are not adequately measured by global stress instruments. The study of stress in police work should preferably involve a nationwide use of police-specific stress instruments.

Keywords      Coping; Norway; police; stress

Correspondence to: Anne Marie Berg, Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, University of Oslo, Pb. 1111 Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway. Tel: +47 22 52 07 91; fax: +47 22 85 13 00; Email: larmabe{at}online.no


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