Polícia Militar: um estudo sobre stress e coping

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to present a study about stress, stressing factors and the most used coping strategies in military police officers from the state of Goiás. It is comprised of a review of the literature regarding the subject (Article I) and an empirical research with police officers from the Military Police of the State of Goiás (Article II). In the first article, the databases CAPES, BVS and SCIELO were used by means of a combination of descriptors, resulting in 101 articles, only 07 of which were eligible for the research. The results showed the lack of studies regarding the mental health of the military police officers and the unanimity regarding the above-the-Brazilian-level stress for this public, the resistance stage, evaluated using the Lipp Stress Symptoms Inventory, being predominant in the majority (57.1%) of the studies. The stressing factors were related to the nature of the job, as well as the structuring conditions of the military context. Physical activities, social support, leisure, usage of alcohol and medication were identified as coping strategies. The importance of more studies regarding the subject was highlighted in order to obtain a better targeting of the intervention plans in the military police institutions. Next in order, in Article II, the empirical research was carried out with police officers belonging to the Military Police of the State of Goiás. 199 police officers, 119 from conventional units and 80 from specialized units, in active duty and of both sexes participating. In order to collect the data the following instruments were used: a social and demographic questionnaire, a questionnaire of stressing factors, the Lipp Stress Symptoms Inventory (LSSI) and the Lazurus and Folkman Inventory of Coping Strategies. The results indicated stress levels in 36 (30.2%) police officers from conventional units, related to the resistance stage (27.7%), almost to the point of exhaustion (1.7%) and exhaustion (0.8%), and in 3 (3.7%) police officers in specialized units, related to the resistance stage. The stress symptomatology was mixed, that is, comprised by physical

11 symptoms as well as psychological ones. The two major stressing factors highlighted were the judiciary system in effect in the country and the lack of professional valorization. Among the most used coping strategies, problem solving, self-control, positive re-evaluation, acceptance of responsibility and social support stood out. The importance of a better alignment of stress prevention actions to the institutional context, as well as the facilitation of metal health protection factors to the police officers in conventional units were considered