STRESS MANAGEMENT AMONG POLICE

A Partial Thesis

Presented to

The Faculty of the College of Criminal Justice Education

King’s College of the Philippines

In Partial Fulfilment

Of the Requirements for the Degree Bachelor of

Science in Criminology

CHERRY ANN FOMARTAO BACALA

ALDRIN CUILAN BANTASAN

RISHA LYNE COLAS BESTRE

JERIC TAKAYENG FACAYAN

RUYSDALE PADIANGAN GANGA

April 2023
 Approval Sheet

This THESIS PROPOSAL entitled Stress Management Among

Police prepared and submitted by CHERRY ANN F. BACALA,
ALDRIN C. BANTASAN, RISHA LYNE C. BESTRE, JERIC T. FACAYAN
and RUYSDALE P. GANGA, in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree Bachelor of Science in
Criminology, has been examined and is recommended for
acceptance and approval for FINAL ORAL DEFENSE.

Adviser

Date Signed:

APPROVED by the THESIS EXAMINATION PANEL MEMBERS

Chairman of the Panel

Date Signed:

Member Member

Date Signed: Date Signed:

Accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the degree BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN
CRIMINOLOGY.

Noted:

DEMPSEY O. DEPAYSO, CSP, PhD.Crim

Dean Date
College of Criminal Justice Education
 Acknowledgement

The researchers would like to express their sincere

gratitude to the following, who, in various ways contributed

in the success of their research. Without the people behind

them, they would not have been able to conquer the

challenges of accomplishing their tasks. Therefore, the

researchers convey their sincerest gratitude:

To their instructor, Ms. Donecia L. Sallatic who

patiently guided us, for sharing her knowledge, thoughts and

ideas and for her constant encouragements that made us go

amidst constant challenges;

To their research adviser, for his continuous guidance,

pieces of advice, his patience and immense knowledge which

helped all the time in making this study;

To Mr. Dempsey O. Depayso, Dean of the College of

Criminal Justice Education, for his encouragements and

pieces of advice;

To their panelists, who have always been of great help

to the researchers, through their encouragements and shared

suggestions, insights and ideas;

To all the participants for sparing their time and

patience;
 Acknowledgment 4

To their siblings, friends and classmates, for their

endless love, concern, and moral support at all times;

To their precious parents they are our great pillars

not only in the completion of our research but in all

aspects of our life thus, no dream remains elusive, rather

gradually turned into reality in due time;

Lastly, to the Almighty God, our creator who gave us

strength and wisdom throughout the process, without Him, the

completion of our research would have been impossible.

C.F.B.

A.C.B.

R.C.B.

J.T.F.

R.P.G.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

APPROVAL SHEET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

CHAPTER

1 THE PROBLEM

Background of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Theoretical and Conceptual Framework . . . . 13

Paradigm of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Statement of the Problem . . . . . . . . . . 18

2 DESIGN AND METHOLOGY

Research Design and Methodology . . . . . . .

Population and Locale of the Study . . . . .

Data Gathering Tools . . . . . . . . . . . .

Data Gathering Procedures . . . . . . . . . .

Treatment of Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

APPENDICES

A Letter to Float the Questionnaire

CURRICULUM VITAE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
 List of Figure

Figure

1 Paradigm of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM

Background of the Study

Stress affects everyone, yet few people understand what

causes it, how it develops, how it affects their bodies, and

how they can be more effective in managing their stress.

When stress is unrelenting and out of control, it is a

villain that causes unhappiness, sickness, and even death.

"The profession of law enforcement is considered to be

one of the most stressful occupations" and job stress can

"reverberate through all aspects of life." Organizational

stressors such as shift work, perceived bias by

administrators, a lack of input in departmental policy, a

lack of training, a lack of career opportunities, police

culture, and a lack of recognition for good work are

considered "chief causes of stress" for police officers. The

majority of police stress is caused by situations within law

enforcement organizations that are beyond the officer's

control" (Hodges, 2015).

In the study in eleven U.S. police departments in the

year 2003, it was demonstrated that police officers

experienced occupational stress as a result of a lack of

control over work activities and a negative perception as a

result of a history of police misconduct, racial profiling,

excessive force, and abuse of power, which caused the public

to comment as unjustified, causing the issue of creating a

schism between the public and the police to arise (Queiros,

2020).

Moreover, a study in Buffalo, New York, the Buffalo

Cardio-metabolic Occupational Police Stress study, looked at

the relationship between traumatic events and sleepiness

among police officers. Poor sleep quality due to a high or

low workload was found to have a significant inverse

relationship (Violante, 2015).

Police officers can suffer from depression, an

emotional disturbance that frequently leads to stress. Over

940 police officers were examined through self-reported

information in a study conducted in Baltimore, Maryland, and

it is recommended that higher levels of stress would report

higher levels of negative effects. In 2014, they discovered

that people who had social assistance from their relatives

and friends were less likely to have anxiety (Mash, 2019).

In addition, stress is conceptualized as a

psychological syndrome in response to stressors. Stress and

inappropriate coping mechanisms constitute a serious problem

in the police profession. Stress and inappropriate coping

mechanisms constitute a serious problem in the police

profession. Organizational causes of stress, such as a lack

of support from management, are additional stressors.

Like the study in Tzaneen, Limpopo Province, South

Africa, that was based on the Police Stress Inventory (PSI)

and Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) tools.

Of the 104 participants, female police officers had

significantly higher stress intensity scores, while

constables and captains had statistically significant lower

stress scores. The three highest-ranked stressors were:

killing someone in the line of duty; having a fellow officer

killed in the line of duty; and knowing about and

experiencing the death of a fellow officer in the line of

duty. The five most frequently occurring stressors were

organizational in nature. Respondents were more likely to

use coping strategies that were problem-focused

(Makhawukana, 2019).

A study conducted in Europe discovered that the main

stressors for police officers surveyed during the pandemic

were the risk of infection and poor communication. As a

result, the government requires a clear legal framework that

contributes to increased public compliance through effective

media communication. Police authorities should aggregate

information at a higher level and make specific instructions

for the relevant target groups available in the form of

daily newsletters or FAQ pages. Superiors can systematically

remind police officers of the skills they learned in

training, particularly those related to stress management

and self-protection, in order to boost their self-efficacy.

These measures could reduce police officers' perceived

stress and significantly improve crisis management (Frenkel,

2020)

At some point, everyone feels stressed. But for police

officers, who are in positions of authority and make life-

and-death decisions on a regular basis, stress can have a

major negative impact on their lives. One of the biggest

problems for police officers is that stress can go

unrecognized and unacknowledged. Officers are under constant

stress and do not take the time to seek treatment. Many

times, they deny the stress they are experiencing for fear

of being viewed as weak or not being able to handle their

job (Beshears, 2017).

In the case of other countries, a number of news

sources have reported that France faces an increasing number

of police officers committing suicide, especially after the

intense work due to the "yellow vests" and "jackets"

manifestations, while Spain and Portugal have also

experienced several suicides of police officers, which

motivated police officers to demonstrate in the streets and

show their anger with job conditions in France and Portugal.

Hard working conditions and colleagues’ suicides elicit

continuous suffering and psychological pain that affects

police officers, their families, and their tasks in two

important domains of urban life: safety and security.

Additionally, stressful situations can increase the use of

antidepressants, anxiolytics, or tranquilizers to alleviate

psychological suffering, with Portugal being one of the

countries where this increased use is the highest in Europe

(OECD, 2019), suggesting the need to invest in stress and

anxiety prevention and in occupational health.

In Malaysia, so far, there have been only a few studies

conducted on stress in policing (Mastor, 2009). Three

studies on the mental health status and well-being of

Malaysian police officers were conducted by police officers

to fulfil the requirements of completing their studies for

the Diploma of Police Science at the Universiti Kebangsaan

Malaysia. Results from interviews with all 30 police

officers in the Crime Department of the Kota Bharu Police

Contingent revealed that they suffered from at least a

moderate level of work stress (Saini, 2009). In a sample of

60 police officers in the General Operation Force of the

Selangor Police Contingent, 59.6% were under stress (Peng,

2009). Similarly, 46.6% of constables and 40.0% of higher-

ranked officers from 50 police officers in the Special

Action Unit are classified as having stress (Mastor, 2009).

However, all of these studies have only been carried out

using small sample sizes (N 60), which may not be sufficient

to illustrate the real situation of mental health among

Malaysian police officers.

Another study conducted in the Philippines,

particularly in Batangas City, is entitled "Stress

Management Among Police in Batangas City, Philippines”. The

researchers determine that the respondents have different

stress management techniques, which is a cognitive factor

that is often done. The relaxation techniques and social

support received are sometimes felt by the respondents.

There is no significant difference on stress management,

such as relaxation techniques and social support received,

when grouped according to their educational attainment

(Gutierrez, et al., 2015).

A study conducted in Baguio City shows that most of the

police officers deal with counter charges from complainants

during their service for failure to perform their

responsibilities and for violating the code of conduct.

These acts of negligence result in the filing of

administrative cases against the respondents, which also

affect their well-being. As a result of recklessness and

negligence, stress will occur (Vicente, 2021).

In addition, according to Baguio City Police Office

director Colonel Allen Rae Co, "We stress that the same rule

applies to all VIPs (very important persons) and Philippine

National Police members, whether they are entering Baguio on

their own or serving as an escort or security to somebody"

(Geminiano, 2020).

As concluded by the La Trinidad Municipal Police

Station, there are many causes and effects of work-related

stressors. Usually the cause of stress is in policing, where

it is believed to act as a significant stressor for law

enforcement officers and compound the general and

organizational stress related to the occupation.

Theoretical/ Conceptual Framework

This study referred to contemporary theories of stress

that have been used to inform the definition of work-related

stress. Also it referred to a psychological theory of worker

stress which explains the occurrence of occupational stress.

Contemporary theories of stress have been used to

inform the definition of work-related stress. There is a

growing consensus around the definition of stress as a

negative psychological state with cognitive and emotional

components, and its effect on the health of both the

individual and the organisation. That is, stress is defined

by a dynamic interaction between the individual and their

environment, and is often inferred by the existence of a

problematic person-environment fit and the emotional

reactions which underpin those interactions. Central to this

approach is the role that environmental factors,

particularly the role of psychosocial and organisational

factors, play in work stress.

Contemporary theories of stress have moved away from

understanding the construct as either a response or as an

external event, but rather view it as a dynamic interaction

between the individual and their environment. Contemporary

theories of stress, either explicitly or implicitly,

recognise the central role of psychological processes (such

as perception, cognition and emotion) in understanding (for

examples are how the individual recognises, experiences, and

responds to stressful situations, how they attempt to cope

with that experience, and how it might affect their

physical, psychological and social health (Cox & Griffiths,

2010).

Job Demand-Control (Support) Theory

 This theory postulates that job strain results from the

interaction between two dimensions of the work environment,

such as psychological job demands and job control.

The psychological job demands referred to workload

operated mainly in terms of time pressure and role conflict,

as stated by Karasek (1985). However, more recently,

cognitive and emotional demands and interpersonal conflict

dimensions have defined the contemporary construct of

psychological demand.

Job control is often also referred to as "decision

latitude in the literature. Job control refers to the

person’s ability to control their work activities and is

defined by two key components: decision authority, which

means the worker’s ability to make decisions about their

job, and skill discretion, which means the breadth of skills

used by the worker on the job.

This theory suggests that individuals experiencing high

demands paired with low control are more likely to

experience psychological strain, work-related stress, and,

in the long term, poor physical and mental health.

The paradigm of the study shown in figure 1 shows the

summary of how to conduct the study.

The first box presents the main problem with the study.

The three boxes under the main problem present three

specific problems. The box after the specific problems

presents the processes by which the researchers gather the

data for the study.

Work related stressors among

Police Officers of La
Trinidad, Benguet
 Factors that Stress management
contribute to the strategies can
stress of La Trinidad police officers use
Police Officers to cope with stress

Significant relationship
between stress
management and level of
stress

Survey questionnaire

Figure 1. Paradigm of the Study

Statement of the Problem

 This study aimed to find out the work related stressors

experienced by the Police Officers OF La Trinidad, Benguet.

Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions.

1. What are the factors that contribute to the stress of

La Trinidad Police Officers?

2. What are the stress management strategies can police

officers use to cope with stress?

3. What is the significant relationship between stress

management and level of stress?