Work-related stress in personnel of law enforcement: umbrella review.

AIM: The aim of this umbrella review is to review existing studies within the literature on the subject in order to verify the real association between occupational factors, stress and law enforcement, also identifying the main associated factors.

METHODS

The databases used for this review were PubMed and Scopus. The following were used for the search string: "work related stress", ("police" OR "public safety" OR "law enforcement") AND review.

RESULTS

16 papers were retrieved, 8 of which were considered in the final analysis. The results indicate that organizational, operational and professional factors are the most reported causes of work stress in law enforcement. The adoption of measures to improve the organizational structure is of utmost importance. The relationships between colleagues or with managers were also important, as a poor working environment has been found to greatly increase the risk of stress. Health also plays an important role, acting on the decrease of stress. Interventions of aid for the management of stress can be mindfulness, psychotherapy and yoga.

CONCLUSIONS

Mental disorders remain prevalent among law enforcement personnel and may have negative effects on officers' health and performance. Moreover, most research is based on observational studies, not necessarily indicating a causal relationship.