ASSESSMENT OF STRESS COPING MECHANISMS BY BORDER POLICE UNIT OFFICERS OF THE NATIONAL POLICE SERVICE, KENYA
Abstract
The research assessed coping mechanisms by police officers in BPU. The study used Resource Dependence theory. Descriptive Survey research design using mixed method approach in data collection was employed in the study. The target population of 3000 police officers serving in the BPU and a sample size of 300 respondents was statistically significant. The study adopted Stratified Random Sampling that entailed clustering and apportioning respondents to various strata according to their rank. The participants filled semi-structured questionnaires containing open and close-ended questions, responded to interviews and Focused Group Discussions (FGDs). Collected quantitative data was analyzed descriptively using SPSS version 21 and Ms Excel; and Qualitative data analyzed thematically. Among major findings include; BPU is a male-dominated entity with 97 percent being male police officers and 3 percent females. Majority of police officers serving in the unit were youthful with those below 40 years comprising sum of 90 percent. Marital status indicated majority respondents at 74 percent were married. Most police respondents at 78 percent had secondary education. Bulk of respondents at 80 percent were constables. Majority with 6-10 years of service in APS were at sum of 65.33 percent; Those with 7-10 years of service in BPU were 23 percent; Border community respondents males were 82 percent and females 18 percent, indicating patriarchal nature of local population; majority of border community respondents were 31-40 years at 40 percent, implying that majority of those who interact with BPU officers were youthful; Majority of border community respondents were traders at 37.50 percent. The study showed that Police officers adopted both adaptive and maladaptive stress coping mechanisms. They adopted diverse coping mechanisms to overcome the stress. Grounded on these findings the study recommended that police officers be equipped with required knowledge and skills to enable them adopt healthy stress coping mechanisms to overcome resource constraints, survive in the work environment and perform optimally.
Key Words: Stress Management, National Police Service
CITATION: Mwangi, Z. K., & Merecia, A. S. (2022). Assessment of stress coping mechanisms by border police unit officers of the National Police Service, Kenya. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 9 (4), 1004 – 1018.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v9i4.2481
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