Social desirability, stress and health in police officers: preliminary results
Policing: An International Journal
ISSN: 1363-951X
Article publication date: 1 January 2021
Issue publication date: 19 March 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is (1) to confirm the relationship between the two dimensions of social desirability (pretending and denying), self-reported stress and health reports in police officers and (2) to assess whether dysfunctions in basal cortisol profiles are related to social desirability.
Design/methodology/approach
Social desirability is known to influence how individuals respond to sensitive topics, such as questions concerning health in the workplace, and has usually been defined according to two dimensions: pretending and denying. However, it is not known whether social desirability is only a bias in responding to health surveys or a more general attitude of denying problems and pretending to be stronger than one is in the everyday life. If the latter is true, social desirability may have important health implications, and underlying mechanisms must be described. In total, 77 police officers completed questionnaires measuring social desirability (denying and pretending), perceived stress as well as mental and somatic health symptoms. They were further instructed to collect saliva samples for cortisol concentrations assays.
Findings
These preliminary results showed that denying was negatively related to the report of stress and health symptoms. Furthermore, police officers higher in pretending showed a flatter diurnal cortisol slope.
Research limitations/implications
The correlation between dysregulation of the hypothalmic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, as expressed by a flatter cortisol slope, and a higher score in the pretending subscale suggests that looking for social approval by inflating one's capacities is related to chronic work-related stress, making the individual more vulnerable to stress-related disease.
Originality/value
To study the potential health-relevant consequences and underlying mechanisms of social desirability bias related to police culture by including stress biomarkers.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the representatives of the police unions, as well as the police management (psychological office, human resources and top management) who promoted and supported this study. The authors are grateful to all police officers who took the time to participate in the study and gave us this valuable information. The authors would also like to thank Professor Andre Kuhn at the Swiss-French Center for Research in Criminology, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, Professor Serge Guimond at the Laboratory for Social Psychology, University Blaise Pascal, France, as well as Professor Raymund Schwan, at the University of Lorraine, France, for their valuable support during the course of this study.Funding: This study has been founded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (FNS #P2LAP1_148426). The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.
Citation
Habersaat, S., Abdellaoui, S.H. and Wolf, J.M. (2021), "Social desirability, stress and health in police officers: preliminary results", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 44 No. 2, pp. 213-229. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-08-2020-0133
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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