Sociodemographic Predictors of Psychological Distress among Police Personnel: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract

Background: Police work is one of the most responsible and demanding professions. It is obvious that police officers frequently experience daily stress, anxiety, and in some circumstances, depression.However, there are few researches investigating the responsible socio-demographic factors that might contribute to psychological distress among police personnel. Aim: Present study aims to study the level of anxiety, stress, and depression among police personnel. It also aims to explore the sociodemographic factors that significantly predict the mental health of the study participants.Method: Total 480 police personnel were recruited for the study using purposive sampling method. A socio-demographic data sheet and Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale were administered on the participants to collect data regarding their sociodemographic details. Result: It was found that a significant portion of the participants experienced mild to extremely severe level of stress (31.70%), anxiety (34.20%), and depression (27.10%). Female police personnel were more likely to experience (t= -8.94, p<0.01) depression, anxiety (t=8.89, p<0.01), and stress (t=6.66, p<0.01) than their male counterparts. Lastly, gender, age, and monthly income emerged as the significant predictors of the general mental health of police personnel. Conclusion:Police personnel are facing a substantial amount of stress, anxiety, and depression. Young, female, and, low monthly income earning police personnel are at greater risk for developing mental health than their counterparts. Female police personnel experience more psychological distress than male police personnel.