UDC

612.821

Authors

Korekhova Mariya Vladimirovna, Institute of Pedagogics and Psychology, Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov (Arkhangelsk, Russia) 

Abstract

Performing operational and combat missions under extreme conditions involving risk to life and health, law enforcement officers can be considered as running a risk of developing psychological maladjustment. Coping affects the professional’s personality and results of his/her activity in general. Our study involved 153 internal affairs officers from the Arkhangelsk Region: 47 subjects (30.7 %) from Operational Search Department and 106 subjects (69.3 %) from Public Order Department. Based on the results, the subjects were divided into two groups: the well-adjusted (65.4%) and the maladjusted ones (34.6 %). The well-adjusted officers showed great emotional stability and behavioral regulation, good sense of the situation, while being sociable and non-aggressive. The maladjusted subjects revealed the following: low productivity, high level of mental stress, poor concentration, slow warming-up, mental instability, autonomic imbalance, functional asymmetry of the cerebral hemispheres, low tolerance to organizational stress, susceptibility to burnout, difficulties establishing interpersonal contacts, proneness to conflict, inadequate behaviour, behavioral deviations, dependent behaviour, aggression, low mood, sleep disorder, weakness and exhaustion. The results obtained need to be considered when developing preventive measures designed to improve coping of law enforcement officers under extreme conditions.

Keywords

internal affairs officers, coping, psychophysiological maladjustment.

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