eprintid: 29368
rev_number: 23
eprint_status: archive
userid: 5471
dir: disk0/00/02/93/68
datestamp: 2021-02-09 08:44:02
lastmod: 2021-02-10 06:57:10
status_changed: 2021-02-09 08:44:02
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Frenkel, Marie Ottilie
creators_name: Giessing, Laura
creators_name: Egger-Lampl, Sebastian
creators_name: Hutter, Vana
creators_name: Oudejans, Raoul R. D.
creators_name: Kleygrewe, Lisanne
creators_name: Jaspaert, Emma
creators_name: Plessner, Henning
title: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on European police officers: Stress, demands, and coping resources
subjects: 150
divisions: 100500
keywords: COVID-19, ssstress, coping, crisis management, pandemics, law enforcement
note: European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme
abstract: 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.
date: 2020-10
publisher: Elsevier
id_scheme: DOI
id_number: 10.11588/heidok.00029368
fp7_project_id: SHOTPROS (Grant Agreement Number: 833672)
official_url: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2020.101756
ppn_swb: 1747958905
own_urn: urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-heidok-293682
language: eng
bibsort: FRENKELMARTHEIMPACTO202010
full_text_status: public
publication: Journal of Criminal Justice
volume: 72
number: 101756
pagerange: 1-14
issn: 0047-2352 (Druck-Ausg.); 0047-2352 (Online-Ausg.)
edition: Zweitveröffentlichung
citation:   Frenkel, Marie Ottilie ; Giessing, Laura ; Egger-Lampl, Sebastian ; Hutter, Vana ; Oudejans, Raoul R. D. ; Kleygrewe, Lisanne ; Jaspaert, Emma ; Plessner, Henning  (2020) The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on European police officers: Stress, demands, and coping resources.  Journal of Criminal Justice, 72 (101756).  pp. 1-14.  ISSN 0047-2352 (Druck-Ausg.); 0047-2352 (Online-Ausg.)     
document_url: https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/29368/7/Frenkel_Giessing_et_al._2021.pdf