Police Officers Perceived Levels of Organizational Stress, Operational Stress, and Coping Strategies in San Jose, Antique, Philippines

Abstract

Police service is considered difficult and commonly regarded as a high-stress profession. Police officers deal with numerous complex daily challenges and must make split-second judgments. Thus, it is vital to investigate and assess law enforcement officers' operational stress, organizational stress, and coping strategies, as they are linked to their performance in the police organization. In this research, a descriptive-correlational study was employed using a purposive sampling method with police officers from the Municipal Police Station of San Jose de Buenavista in the Province of Antique, Philippines. The findings revealed that police officers could handle work-related issues caused by various stressors, whether in their operational or organizational functions. Furthermore, police officers can cope moderately with stress, indicating they can manage and deal with it effectively. Additionally, demographic groups perceive similar work stress for operational and organizational functions, including coping strategies. Finally, police officers' coping mechanisms often become influenced by operational and organizational stress. With this, the present study's findings strongly support the notion that operational and organizational stressors are fundamental to policing; as a result, police officers may adopt more effective coping strategies to combat the impacts of stress and enhance their work-related well-being. Police personnel may benefit from interventions and programs to reduce the effects of occupational stress.