Dr. David C. Bueno - Operational and organizational stressors experienced by police officers at t

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Operational and Organizational Stressors Experienced by Police Officers at the Station B of Olongapo City Police Department David Cababaro Bueno Columban College, Inc. Olongapo City Abstract The study focused on the assessment of operational and organizational stressors among police officers at the Station B of Olongapo City Police Department. The researcher used the descriptive method of research using a survey-questionnaire, interview and observation. The data were collected from a non-probability (convenience) sample of sworn incumbent police officers from police department, who were actively working in the patrol division; superior officers and civilians were not included. The top three ranked operational stressors were fatigue, no enough time available to spend with friends and family, and shift work. The three lowest ranked stressors included making friends outside the job, working alone at night, and risk of being injured on the job. The top three ordered organizational stressors were the feeling that different rules apply to different people, feeling like you always have to prove yourself to the organization, and inconsistent leadership style. The three lowest ranked stressors included internal investigations, if you are sick or injured your co-workers seem to look down on you, and lack of training on new equipment. There was a significant relationship between organizational stressors and operational stressors. The current study provided a relatively positive outlook on the actual feelings of stress reported by police officers. The police officers were not experiencing excessive amounts of stress, though they were slightly more stressed by organizational stressors than operational stressors. The administration should find ways to reduce operational stressors such fatigue, no enough time available to spend with friends and family, and shift work among police officers. The administration should exert efforts on how to reduce organizational stressors such as the feeling that different rules apply to different people, feeling like you always have to prove yourself to the organization, and inconsistent leadership style among police officers. The administration should provide stress management activities especially on organizational stressors. A parallel study should be conducted in broader perspectives to fully identify the stressors as experienced by police officers in the field. Keywords - Operational and organizational stressors, police officers, descriptive-survey design, Olongapo City INTRODUCTION Police work continues to be viewed as a high stress occupation with investigators often reporting higher rates of morbidity and mortality than observed in many other occupations. Evidence from large sample surveys indicates that police officers have high rates of marital disruption, health problems, and alcohol abuse. Moreover, police officers also appear to be less likely to make use of public mental health facilities, and some observers believe that this reflects the role of an occupational culture that discourages officers from admitting that they need assistance in handling the stresses of their work. Police officers, therefore, might doubly suffer to the extent that they are exposed to a high level of work stressors that are risk factors for health and well being while at the same time are discouraged from seeking medical


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