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Occupational Stress, Personality Traits, Coping Strategies, and Suicide Ideation in the South African Police Service

North-West University, South Africa

Sebastiaan Rothmann

North-West University, South Africa, bpksr{at}puk.ac.za

Fons J. R. van de Vijver

Tilburg University, the Netherlands

The objective of this study is to determine whether suicide ideation among uniformed police officers of the South African Police Service could be predicted on the basis of occupational stress, personality traits, and coping strategies. Using a cross-sectional survey design, the Adult Suicide Ideation Questionnaire, the Police Stress Inventory, the Personality Characteristics Inventory, and the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced are administered to a stratified random sample of 1,794 police employees from eight South African provinces. A logistic regression analysis shows that low scores on conscientiousness, emotional stability, approach coping, and turning to religion as well as high scores on avoidance coping are associated with more suicide ideation.

Key Words: suicide ideation • police • occupational stress • personality • coping • South Africa

Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 34, No. 2, 246-258 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0093854806288708


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