Do psychosocial factors affect the (occupational) well-being of German police officers? A cross-sectional study
Abstract Background Psychological and social health is particularly important for police officers to perform their duties. Therefore, the present study identified and analysed relevant influencing psychosocial factors on officers of a state police unit in Germany. Methods 253 (209 m/44f) police offi...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23772-3 |
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| Summary: | Abstract Background Psychological and social health is particularly important for police officers to perform their duties. Therefore, the present study identified and analysed relevant influencing psychosocial factors on officers of a state police unit in Germany. Methods 253 (209 m/44f) police officers from a single, federal state police force in Germany volunteered to answer questionnaires which comprised the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) and the Operational Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-Op). In addition, based on the response behaviour to each question, an Item Response Theory (IRT; Rasch model) was applied. This calculated score (Rasch score) can be regarded as a predictor of well-being (COPSOQ) and work-related stress (PSQ-Op) and was correlated with age, body mass index (BMI), weight, height and years/hours of work. The significance level was set at 5%. Results COPSOQ: police officers reported moderate to highlevels of emotional exhaustion (41.1%) despite moderate to balanced emotional workloads and the need to suppress emotions (38.33%). PSQ-Op: about one-third of the police officers found shift work moderately stressful (27.27%), while 22.55% reported work-related health problems. Both questionnaires revealed good collegial cooperation (> 90%) and satisfaction with this (> 90%). Rasch score Rasch scores of the COPSOQ showed significant negative correlations with working hours (p = 0.001, rho = -0.16), higher body weight (p = 0.007, rho =-0.17) and higher body height (p = 0.003, rho = -0.19). A significant positive correlation was established between the officer´s age and their working years (p = 0.001, rho = 0.65). The Rasch scores of the PSQ-Op had a significant positive correlation with younger age (p = 0.001, rho = 0.21) and fewer working years (p = 0.03, rho = 0.13). No significant correlation was found between the Rasch scores of the PSQ-Op and COPSOQ. Conclusion German police officers experienced moderate emotional strain accompanied by moderate emotional exhaustion, however, this had little influence on decision-making. Good collegial cooperation and low physical strain contributed to low-moderate stress levels. Overtime and working when ill may also be contributing factors for physical exhaustion. The majority of officers fulfilled their occupational duties with undiminished energy. Job-related factors, such as effective cooperation among colleagues, appeared to have a positive impact on mental health. |
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| ISSN: | 1471-2458 |