The psychological impact of COVID-19 on police officers
| Published date | 01 March 2022 |
| Author | Noreen Tehrani |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X211039975 |
| Date | 01 March 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Special Issue Articles |
Special Issue: Are we OK? The State of Wellbeing in Policing
The Police Journal:
Theory, Practice and Principles
2022, Vol. 95(1) 73–87
© The Author(s) 2022
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DOI: 10.1177/0032258X211039975
journals.sagepub.com/home/pjx
The psychological impact of
COVID-19 on police officers
Noreen Tehrani
Noreen Tehrani Associates, Twickenham, UK
Abstract
Police officers play an important role in protecting the community. During the COVID-19
pandemic, their role has posed a serious threat to their physical and psychological health
and well-being. This study wa s designed to asses s the prevalence of an xiety, depressi on,
PTSD and compassion fatigue in police officers and to identify the factors that predict
COVID-19-related physical and mental well-being. As part of a regular health sur-
veillance programme, 3863 police officers recorded their physical exposure to
COVID-19 and the extent to which COVID-19 had affected their psychological well-
being. The study provides suggestions on developing evidence-based well-being in-
terventions for policing.
Keywords
Police, COVID-19, well-being, support
Introduction
The COVID-19 has had a dramatic effect on the lives of people throughout the world. The
size and duration of the pandemic have placed a strain on the mental health of front-line
workers where there is a high exposure to the disease together and a requirement to work
in close contact with others (Office of National Statistics, 2021). Some occupational
groups have been identified as facing a higher level of risk of developing mental health
problems which include those working in intensive care (Greenberg et al., 2021), mental
health workers (Rapisarda et al., 2020), health care workers (DeKock et al., 2021) and
those working in front-line policing (Stogner et al., 2020).
For the police, dealing with major events involving large sections of the community is
part of their normal role. In the COVID-19 pandemic, front-line police officers have
Corresponding author:
Noreen Tehrani, Noreen Tehrani Associates, 12 Baronsfield Road, Twickenham TW1 2QU, UK.
Email: noreen.tehrani@noreentehrani.com.
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