BACKGROUND: The ongoing economic crisis in Greece has affected both stress and quality of life (QoL) at all socioeconomic levels, including professionals in the police force. The aim of this study was to examine perceived stress, job satisfaction, QoL, and their relationships in a sample of police officers in Greece. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted during the first trimester of 2011 in 23 police stations in the greater Athens area. A total of 201 police officers agreed to participate (response rate 44.6%). The General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) was used to assess general health, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF Questionnaire and Perceived Stress Scale-14 (PSS-14) questionnaires were used to assess QoL and perceived stress, respectively. RESULTS: The PSS and GHQ subscales and total scores exhibited strong, positive, and significant correlations coefficients (r): 0.52 for somatic disturbances, 0.56 for stress and insomnia, 0.40 for social dysfunction, and 0.37 for depression, yielding an r equal to 0.57 for the total GHQ score. A higher level of perceived stress was related to a lower likelihood of being satisfied with their job; in this regard, male participants and higher ranked officers reported lower job satisfaction. The PSS and GHQ scores were inversely, consistently, and significantly related to almost all of the QoL aspects, explaining up to 34% of their variability. Parenthood had a positive effect on QoL related to physical health, and women reported lower QoL related to psychological health. CONCLUSION: Higher levels of stress are related to an increased risk of reporting suboptimal job satisfaction and QoL. The magnitude of these associations varied depending on age, gender, and rank, highlighting the need for stress-management training.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression ; Female ; Greece* ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction* ; Male ; Police* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, First ; Quality of Life* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; World Health Organization

PURPOSE: Stress poses a serious risk for training surgeons since their performance and well-being in reflected in patients' health. This study focuses on measuring the stress of training surgeons and at the same time evaluates prospectively the results of an innovative program that uses alternative techniques to combat the effects of stress. METHODS: The study was a pilot randomized controlled trial, with a duration of 6 months. Participants were allocated to a control and an intervention group. Trainees then completed three questionnaires, quality of life, perceived stress scale (PSS) and job content questionnaire serving as a baseline measurement. Only the intervention group used diaphragmatic breathing and progressive muscular relaxation techniques, twice a day, for 20 minutes each, and for a total period of eight weeks. At the end of the study, the same questionnaires were completed again by both groups. RESULTS: The sample of the study included 28 and 32 trainees in the control and the intervention group, respectively. The Cronbach's alpha value for the PSS stress-measuring questionnaire was 0.772. The intervention group presented statistically significant lower values of stress (30.50, P < 0.05) in comparison to the control group (27.54). CONCLUSION: The medical community, and especially surgeons, have been reluctant up to now to embrace interventional programs that go beyond the traditional use of medication in order to address stress related issues. The positive results and feedback from small studies, such as ours, can provide the driving force for further research that will give us solid, evidence-based, answers.
Clinical Trial ; Prospective Studies ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Relaxation Therapy ; Respiration ; Stress, Psychological