Features of overcoming burnout syndrome by police officers: World experience

Abstract

The issue of preserving the psychophysical health and emotional well-being of police officers is relevant at all times, but it has become particularly significant in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the state of emergency, which have significantly increased demands on the job and depleted work resources. The purpose of the study is to explore the best global practices and strategies for preventing emotional burnout in police officers, with subsequent implementation into the national system to prevent this phenomenon. The study used methods such as heuristic, descriptive, comparative, analytical, classification, and typology. The experience of Austria, the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, and Japan was summarised. Based on the experience of these countries, which seems most suitable for Ukraine, the prevention of emotional burnout in the police sector was analysed. The conclusion was formulated that preventing the psychophysical exhaustion of police officers is one of the leading areas of the foreign countriesʼ state policy. Prevention of emotional burnout is conducted at personal and organisational (management) levels. To maintain the professional well-being of police officers, in addition to preventive measures aimed at forming mechanisms to counter professional burnout, particular importance is attached to a deep conviction in the significance and value of health in general and professional health in particular. A fairly effective preventive measure in this context is regular physical activity, which facilitates psychological suspension from work and reduces the risk of prolonged stress reactions, such as professional burnout. This study draws attention to the task of strengthening the psychoemotional health in police structures and outlines possibilities for preventive measures that can improve the quality of life and professional activities of police officers, mitigating the negative impact of the emotional burnout phenomenon

Keywords

• syndrome
• mental health
• stress
• exhaustion
• fatigue
• prevention
• overcoming
• physical activity