TY  - JOUR
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2020.101756
EP  - 14
SN  - 0047-2352 (Druck-Ausg.); 0047-2352 (Online-Ausg.)
TI  - The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on European police officers: Stress, demands, and coping resources
KW  - COVID-19
KW  -  ssstress
KW  -  coping
KW  -  crisis management
KW  -  pandemics
KW  -  law enforcement
N2  - Purpose: Facing the COVID-19 pandemic, police officers are confronted with various novel challenges, which might place additional strain on officers. This mixed-method study investigated officers? strain over a three- month-period after the lockdown.

Methods: In an online survey, 2567 police officers (77% male) from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Spain participated at three measurement points per country in spring, 2020. Three-level growth curve models assessed changes in strain and its relation to stressor appraisal, emotion regulation, and pre- paredness through training. To add context to the findings, free response answers about officers? main tasks, stressors, and crisis measures were coded inductively.

Results: On average, officers seemed to tolerate the pandemic with slight decreases in strain over time. Despite substantial variance between countries, 66% of the variance occurred between individuals. Sex, work experience, stressor appraisal, emotion regulation, and preparedness significantly predicted strain. Risk of infection and deficient communication emerged as main stressors. Officers? reports allowed to derive implications for governmental, organizational, and individual coping strategies during pandemics.

Conclusion: Preparing for a pandemic requires three primary paths: 1) enacting unambiguous laws and increasing public compliance through media communication, 2) being logistically prepared, and 3) improving stress regulation skills in police training.
IS  - 101756
SP  - 1
VL  - 72
JF  - Journal of Criminal Justice
ID  - heidok29368
N1  - European Union?s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme
Y1  - 2020/10//
AV  - public
A1  - Frenkel, Marie Ottilie
A1  - Giessing, Laura
A1  - Egger-Lampl, Sebastian
A1  - Hutter, Vana
A1  - Oudejans, Raoul R. D.
A1  - Kleygrewe, Lisanne
A1  - Jaspaert, Emma
A1  - Plessner, Henning
PB  - Elsevier
ER  -