Stress and Coping in Police Officers

Police officers encounter numerous stressors as part of their professional duties. Dissociation, the splitting off from awareness thoughts, feelings, or memories of stressful events, is one psychological defense associated with avoidance of emotionally painful material. In this study, dissociation, stressful or traumatic experiences, and psychological adjustment were measured in a sample of police officers. Stress was not directly associated with psychological adjustment, but increased stress did predict increased dissociation. Increased dissociation was associated with poorer adjustment. These data suggest that it is not the stressors themselves but officers' manner of coping with them that determine psychological adjustment.