The Relationship Between Police Officers’Cause Uncertainty, Attribution Styles,Coping Styles And Their Mental Health

Objective:The paper is expected to acquire the current situation of police officers on mental health and related influencing factors, thus providing theoretical foundation for the mental behavior training of police officers.Methods:Cluster sampling was adopted to conduct a questionnaire survey among police officers who attended the training on the promotion of police ranks during May to August in2014. The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics analysis, T-test method, analysis of variance, chi-squared test, correlation analysis, multiple linear regression and Logistic regression analysis.Results:1. There are no statistical differences on the cause uncertainty of police officers despite of their gender, position, colleges they graduated from, marital status, regions they come from and education levels. Police officers of different ages have statistical differences on three factors of reason-uncertainty. Officers who aged40years or more have higher causal uncertainty than those who are under40. Officers who have worked for10-20years have higher reason-uncertainty than those who worked for less than10years. Traffic police have higher cause uncertainty than police in government organs, security police, patrol special police and regulation police and have higher Self causal uncertainty than police in government organs, security police, regulation police and technique police, while having higher overall cause uncertainty than police in government organs, security police, criminal police, patrol special police, regulation and technique police.2. There are no statistical differences on coping styles of police officers despite of their marital status, regions they come from, how many years they have worked for, which positions they are and whether or not they are working on leading post. The total score of positive attribution style for female police officers is higher than that of male officers. Officers who are under40have higher scores on positive and negative incidents than those over40. Officers who graduated from police colleges have higher total points on positive and negative incidents than those who graduated from non-police colleges, but no statistical difference were showed on CPCN scores.3. Positive coping styles accounted for64.5%of the four coping styles of police officers, and no statistical difference were showed on the coping styles of police officers in spite of their gender, age, college they graduated from, marital condition, seniority, police classification and the regions they worked.4. Police officers whose SCL-90scores exceeded160accounted for29.1%of the total, which those who have more than43positive items accounted for42.5%. In terms of the number of positive distribution of SCL-90factors, the major mental problems are obsessive-compulsive disorder, interpersonal sensitivity and hostility. The overall mental health level of police officers is lower than that of social norm.5. Statistical difference was showed on the mental health of police officers who have different extent of causal uncertainty and attribution styles. Compared with those who have less reason uncertainty, police officers who have higher extent of causal uncertainty are suffered from poorer mental health. The mental health of officers with pessimistic attribution styles is poorer than those with optimistic attribution styles. Officers who have different coping styles are found to have statistical differences on mental health. The mental health of officers adopting emotional coping styles is poorer than those adopting problem-focused coping styles.6. Reason-uncertainty, the attribution styles on negative incidents showed negative correlation with the level of mental health and positive attribution style showed positive correlation with the level of mental health.7. Results of multiple linear regression for causal uncertainty:age, coping styles, police categories and overall attribution styles are put into the equation and the result is that age, coping styles and seniority can explain9.1%of variability for the reason uncertainty (R=.301, R2=.091, F=2.426***). The age, overall attribution styles, coping styles and police categories can explain15,9%of variability for self reason uncertainty (R=.399, R2=.159, F=4.384***). The age, overall attribution styles, coping styles and police categories can explain13.6%of variability for overall reason uncertainty (R=.368, R2=.136, F=3.632***).8. Results of logistic regression analysis for susceptibility to mental problems:the variables in the equation, including age, reason uncertainty, self causal uncertainty and the attribution styles of negative incidents, have statistical significance and they showed positive effect with the possibility of mental problems.Conclusion:1. Police officers who are older with longer service time have higher level of causal uncertainty. Traffic police have higher level of causal uncertainty.2. The overall attribution styles of police officers are positive. Female officers tend to show positive attribution styles; male officers or those over40tend to be of positive attributions on positive incidents and negative attribution on negative incidents.3. The coping styles of police officers tend to be emotional.4. The age, police categories and overall attribution styles have predictive function on the causal uncertainty of police officers.5. Higher age and causal uncertainty, as well as negative attribution on negative incidents are dangerous factors of mental problems.