Psychological Distress, Work Engagement and Psychological Well-being of Police Officers in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Police officers’ effectiveness and efficiency are a function of high level of psychological well-being (PWB). A lot of factors could affect the PWB of police officers in which psychological distress and work engagement are not left out. This study, therefore, examined whether psychological distress and work engagement are predictors of PWB among police officers in Akure, Ondo State. The study used a cross-sectional survey design. Purposive and convenience sampling techniques were employed to select a total of 296 (155 males and 141 females) police officers that participated in the study. The respondents’ ages varied from 24 years to 62 years (M = 30.04; SD = 8.99). Data was collected using standardised instruments. The three hypotheses formulated were analysed with hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Results revealed that psychological distress (β = -.20, t = -3.79, p <.05) and work engagement (β = .38, t = 7.26, p <.01) independently and jointly [F (6, 290) = 37.07, R = .44, R²= .20, p <.01] predicted  PWB of police officers leading to 27% variance contributed by the independent variables. The study concluded that psychological distress and work engagement have strong connections with PWB of police officers. Hence, police organisations should implement and prioritise interventions such as comprehensive mental health programs and work engagement enhancement training that will help in boosting the PWB of police officers.