Modern understanding of stress factors in police work in scientific research

In the context of dynamic changes in Ukrainian society, it is extremely relevant to summarise international practices of preventing stress factors in the activities of police officers. The purpose of this study was to analyse the state of scientific developments in the field of the impact of stress factors on police officers’ professional skills. The study employed a series of general scientific and sectoral methods, specifically, methods of systematisation such as analysis, synthesis, comparison, the method of alternatives, and grouping. The review of a wide range of scientific sources helped to establish that the professional activity of police officers is characterised by a strenuous and extreme nature, which leads to a weakening of the body’s defence functions, the development of psychogenic disorders and the phenomenon of professional deformation. It was found that the issue of stressful experience is extremely relevant in the scientific literature. Researchers state that the ability to prevent and overcome it is transforming into a total problem. The study, based on a thorough analysis of the scientific developments of researchers, characterised four groups of stress factors, namely: operational; organisational; external; and individual. Based on the analysed material, the study proposed a system of measures that would help to overcome elevated levels of stress and reduce the effects of stress factors on the activities of police officers. The findings of this study can be used for further scientific research on the outlined issues, as well as in the context of developing practical recommendations for the development of stress resistance in police officers