It is important to have a productive and healthy police service in South Africa and to research
suicide ideation and burnout. The objectives of this research were to determine the
relationship between suicide ideation, work stress and coping; to determine if work stress and
coping can be used to predict suicide ideation; to determine the casual factors of suicide
ideation; to determine if t he Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS) is a
valid and reliable instrument to measure burnout; to determine the relationship between work
stress and burnout and to determine if coping strategies can moderate or mediate the
relationship between work stress an burnout.
A cross-sectional survey design was used. A random sample (n = 340) was taken from police
stations in the Western Cape. The Adult Suicide Ideation Questionnaire (ASIQ), MBI-GS,
Police Stress Inventory (PSI), COPE questionnaire and a biographical questionnaire were
administered.
The results showed that job stress can indeed cause suicide ideation, but that an individual's
coping response is a critical component in the determining of the impact of a stressor. Suicide
ideation correlates statistically significant with job demands and a lack of resources, and job
stress and coping can be used to predict suicide ideation in the SAPS. Avoidance, alcohol
misuse, the presence of a medical condition, a previous suicide attempt, and rank are variants
which could predict suicide ideation in the SAPS. The MBI-GS is a reliable and valid
measuring instrument. Job stress leads to higher levels of exhaustion, which in turn leads to
higher levels o f cynicism and lower levels of professional efficacy. Coping strategies c an
moderate or mediate the relationship between job stress and burnout.
Recommendations for the prevention and management of suicide ideation and burnout have
been made, as well as recommendations with regard to future research on suicide ideation and
burnout in the SAPS in the Western Cape. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/257 |
| Date | January 2003 |
| Creators | Joubert, Anita Florence |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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