Lee Nayeon, Wu Ya-Ke
School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Healthcare (Basel). 2024 Mar 19;12(6):688. doi: 10.3390/healthcare12060688.
Law enforcement is a stressful occupation that places significant psychological demands on those serving in this role. However, little is known about the severity of work-related stress and psychological distress among law enforcement officers (LEOs) in North Carolina (NC). This cross-sectional study examined the severity of work-related stress and psychological distress among 283 LEOs in NC. The Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Operational Police Stress Questionnaire, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale, and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist were used to assess burnout, operational police stress, depression, anxiety, stress, and PTSD among LEOs. Descriptive statistics, independent -tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, one-way ANOVA, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed. Rural and male LEOs reported higher burnout levels related to depersonalization (i.e., increased mental distance from one's job) compared with their urban and female counterparts. LEOs exposed to toxic materials or performing patrol duties exhibited higher operational police stress levels than those who did not. Caucasian LEOs exhibited higher depression, anxiety, and stress than their African American counterparts. Rural LEOs and LEOs who were exposed to toxic materials displayed higher levels of PTSD than their counterparts. Our findings highlight the need for increased mental health support and better working environments for LEOs.
执法工作是一项压力巨大的职业，对从事这一职业的人员提出了很高的心理要求。然而，对于北卡罗来纳州（NC）执法人员（LEOs）与工作相关的压力和心理困扰的严重程度，人们知之甚少。这项横断面研究调查了北卡罗来纳州283名执法人员与工作相关的压力和心理困扰的严重程度。使用马氏职业倦怠量表、警察工作压力问卷、抑郁、焦虑和压力量表以及创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）检查表来评估执法人员的职业倦怠、警察工作压力、抑郁、焦虑、压力和创伤后应激障碍。进行了描述性统计、独立样本t检验、曼-惠特尼U检验、单因素方差分析和克鲁斯卡尔-沃利斯检验。与城市执法人员和女性执法人员相比，农村执法人员和男性执法人员在去个性化（即与工作的心理距离增加）方面报告的职业倦怠水平更高。接触有毒物质或执行巡逻任务的执法人员比未接触的人员表现出更高的警察工作压力水平。白人执法人员比非裔美国执法人员表现出更高的抑郁、焦虑和压力水平。农村执法人员和接触有毒物质的执法人员比其他执法人员表现出更高的创伤后应激障碍水平。我们的研究结果强调了需要为执法人员增加心理健康支持并改善工作环境。
