Employers can prevent worker stress escalating and becoming chronic by training employees to avoid resorting to passive coping strategies, Italian researchers say.
The researchers from two Italian universities said active and "instrumental" coping strategies – such as seeking social support – were associated with "good adaptation to traumatic stress", while passive or avoidant strategies – such as excessive alcohol intake – "are often considered maladaptive, negative coping strategies".
"In general, strategies involving disengagement increase the likelihood of [workers] experiencing ongoing distress and of developing post-traumatic stress disorder," they said.
"The use of good strategies is traditionally associated with a reduced risk of general psychological distress, which can therefore be regarded as a protective factor against anxiety and organisational distress."
In their study of 617 police officers, the researchers found unit managers in the operational sector (comprising front-line officers who enforced the law) were among those most likely to cope with distress positively by "venting" their negative feelings and receiving emotional support from others.
Many unit managers, however, also used maladaptive coping strategies such as blaming themselves.
Overall, males in this sector reacted to an increase in stressors "by adopting coping strategies such as self-blame and negation: on the one hand, they blamed themselves for their unease (for instance, attributing this to their inability to deal efficiently with the situation) and on the other, they tried to diminish the sense of responsibility by denying that the problem existed".
Meanwhile, many officers in the interior department (comprising those with organisational or personnel roles), used self-distraction as a coping mechanism, the researchers found.
They found that overall, male officers in this department also used adaptive planning strategies, while female non-commissioned officers used venting coping strategies, as well as self-distraction strategies.
The researchers said this study could help police organisations find ways to limit workplace stressors, such as through stress-management training.
"These courses may increase officers' abilities to cope with psychologically arduous situations (eg. self-efficacy enhancement programs) and the severe psychological distress that can often undermine social functioning (eg. trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy)," they said.
"The results from this study suggest that training courses and support for Italian police officers must necessarily take into account not only the stressors that characterise police work but also the gender, role and type of work in which the officer is involved.
"Tailored training courses and support programs could be useful and effective tools for preventing stress before it becomes chronic."
Occupational stress, anxiety and coping strategies in police officers. Daniela Acquadro Maran, et al, Italy, Occupational Medicine, 4 June 2015.
