The relationship between officers’ personality traits and experienced stress

In nowadays people are more exposed to stress than one century ago. Different stress and tension levels are determined not only by personal life circumstances but also by occupational environment. Police officers’ work is related to permanent anxiety, mental and physical tension. Statistical data confirm direct correlations among police officers’ illnesses, dissatisfaction at work and professional work or withdrawal. Some authors argue that personality traits contribute to the experienced stress at work and its implications on officers’ health, but the results are contradictory and not comprehensive. Although the question about the relations between stress and personality traits among officers might have theoretical and practical implications, it is not explored enough in Lithuanian sample. Especially there is lack of empirical research results in the field of risk propensity, extraversion or emotional stability. Evaluation of police officers’ propensity to risk, extraversion or emotional stability might help to predict their resistance to stress factors. The purpose of this investigation was to determine possible correlations among police officers’ personality traits (propensity to risk, extroversion, and emotional stability) and experienced stress level. Reeder’s psychosocial stress scale was used to evaluate police officers experienced tension. The propensity to risk was measured with the help of subscale from Jackson’s personality questionnaire. Officers’ extroversion and emotional stability was assessed with the help of Eysenk’s personality questionnaire (EPQ). The results of the investigations showed that elder officers with higher propensity to risk experience less stress if compared to those with lower propensity to risk. Officers with higher extroversion experience less stress if compared to those with higher introversion.[...]Psichologijos katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta