Occupational Stress and Sleep of Military Police Officers From Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Objective: Military Police officers of Rio de Janeiro's State have been considered the most lethal security forces in Brazil, corresponding to 52.35% of deaths in policing actions. The main aim of this study was to identify occupational stress among military police officers in Rio de Janeiro State and its relationship with the psychosocial environment, sleep quality, and daytime sleepiness.

Methods: Two hundred and forty-two military policemen, divided into two groups (elite and non-elite), were evaluated occupational stress by the Lipp's Stress Symptoms Inventory (LSSI), daytime sleepiness (DS) by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and sleep quality (SQ) by the Pitsburgh Sleep Quality Index.

Results: Military police officers (entire sample) showed dissatisfaction related to psychological support from the military institution (p = 0.004), about the inefficiency of the judicial system (p < 0.001) and their low popularity towards society (p = 0.009). The group of elite police officers slept significantly less (p = 0.026) and, in general, suffered more from severe daytime sleepiness, had poorer SQ and showed lower levels of occupational stress than their peers. It was possible to identify that stress can be detected, developed, and intensified in military police officers as a result of the environment in which they are exposed and this interferes significantly in sleep and daytime sleepiness (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Through this study, it is hoped that measures can be implemented to enhance the work environment and thereby improve the quality of life for this military population. Furthermore, it is intended to stimulate more comprehensive and longitudinal studies, particularly inclusive of female military personnel.