A Study on the Prevalence of Occupational Stress Among Police Personnel in Delhi

TL;DR

This study found that most police officers in Delhi experience high levels of work-related stress, especially due to job demands and poor staffing.

Contribution

The study provides new prevalence data on operational and organizational stress among Delhi police personnel.

Findings

91.5% of police personnel experienced moderate to high operational stress.

54.2% experienced moderate to high organizational stress.

Female officers and those with limited personal time or staff shortages reported higher stress.

Abstract

Introduction

Occupational stress or stress at work is a real challenge for workers as well as organisations. Work-related stress can be caused by poor work organisation, poor work design, poor management, unsatisfactory working conditions, and lack of support from colleagues and supervisors. Police personnel work in such conditions that make them vulnerable to adverse physiological and psychological outcomes; however, this often goes underreported, underdiagnosed, and undertreated. The current study focused on two types of occupational stress, namely operational stress and organisational stress. Operational stress is due to the nature of the job, whereas organisational stress is due to the organisational culture in which a person works in.

Aims and objectives

The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of occupational stress and associated factors among police personnel in Delhi.

Methodology

This cross-sectional study was conducted among 374 police personnel in a selected district in Delhi. The district was selected randomly via the chit method, and in the second stage, a non-proportional stratified random sampling technique was used, and two strata were constituted of 187 participants in each stratum. The first stratum included inspectors, sub-inspectors (SI), and assistant sub-inspectors (ASI), and the second stratum included constables and head-constables. For the assessment of occupational stress, the Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) was used.

Results

The prevalence of stress (moderate to high) was found to be 91.5% and 54.2% for operational and organizational stress. Females (17.6% of the study participants) were found to be more stressed. Not having enough time available to spend with friends and family, and staff shortages were found to be the most stressful operational and organisational stressors, respectively.

Conclusion

The study revealed a high prevalence of occupational stress among police personnel, highlighting the urgent need for intervention and proactive measures by relevant authorities.

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