| dc.description.abstract | With increasing numbers of suicides among police officers in South Africa it is clear that
drastic steps must be taken to evaluate the problem and determine the cause. Police officers
work in extreme conditions with high stress intensity. That is why it is important for police
officers to be equipped with the necessary psychological strengths to handle stressful
situations successfully. If stressful situations are coped with unsuccessfully it will have
negative consequences, such as suicide. Suicide ideation is an important step in the process
towards completed suicide. The South African Police Services (SAPS) is responsible for the
wellbeing of its workforce and the maintaining of mental wellness. That is why it is important
to determine the level of psychological strengths in police officers and the influence thereof
on suicide ideation.
In this research the relationship between coherence, self-efficacy, locus of control and coping
as psychological strengths on the one hand and suicide ideation on the other hand were
studied. If there is a relationship between the psychological strengths and suicide ideation it
would be of the utmost importance to the SAPS to help with the recruitment, selection,
development and management of their human resources and the lending of successful support
systems. The objective of the research is to determine the relationship between coherence,
self-efficacy, locus of control, coping and suicide ideation.
A survey design was used to test the research hypotheses. The experimental group (N=287)
was selected by means of an availability sample and consisted of constables, sergeants and
inspectors, as well as police officers currently in training. The Orientation of Life Scale
(OLQ), General Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (GSEQ), Work Locus of Control Questionnaire
(WLCQ), COPE Questionnaire (COPE) and Adult Suicide Ideation Questionnaire (ASIQ)
were used as measuring instruments. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, correlations, analysis of
variance, multiple regression analysis and discriminant analysis were used to analyse the
results.
The results showed that suicide ideation is a problem in the SAPS in the North-West
Province. Suicide ideation showed a relationship with low coherence, low self-efficacy, job
satisfaction, the area where police officers find themselves, the effect of medical conditions
and the use of more than 1 4 alcoholic drinks per week. The results show that there is no
relationship between external locus of control and suicide ideation. Police officers show that
they use turning towards religion and planning problem solving as coping strategies.
Recommendations for future research were made in conclusion. | |
