Gender-specific peculiarities in the manifestation of psychosomatic stress symptoms among law enforcement officers during professional training

Abstract

Aim: To investigate gender-specific peculiarities in the manifestation of psychosomatic stress symptoms and stress levels among cadets during their training and service activities under martial law.Materials and Methods: The research involved 134 (71 men and 63 women) cadets. Psycho-emotional and somatic symptoms of stress, as well as the overall level of stress, were assessed using the test proposed by Yu. V. Shcherbatykh twice: before the 4-week field placement in practical police units and after its completion.Results: It was found that female cadets exhibit more pronounced stress symptoms compared to male cadets, especially after completing their field placements in practical police units. The most pronounced psycho-emotional symptoms of stress in women included anxiety, worry, gloomy mood, difficulty in decision-making; somatic symptoms included pains of an unspecified nature, headaches, low performance, excessive fatigue, and sleep problems. The overall stress level among female cadets was also significantly (p ≤ 0.01) higher after their field placement than among male cadets, by 3.3 points. During the field placement period, the stress level among male cadets increased by 2.5 points (p ≤ 0.05), and among female cadets by 5.3 points (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusions: The research indicates an urgent need to develop stress resilience among cadets, particularly female cadets, during their professional training to ensure the effectiveness of their academic performance under martial law and their subsequent service activities in practical police units, as well as in developing skills to apply available methods for preventing stress-related phenomena during training and service activities.