The Effects of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of the Peruvian Police and Armed Forces

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental health of the general population. However, little attention has been given to the mental health of a group considered an essential category, police officers and the members of the armed forces. This study examined the mental health of 204 members of the armed forces and the police department assigned to monitor the public roads to enforce the measures adopted by the Peruvian government. The instruments used in the study included the Fear of , and the Revised Mental Health Inventory-5. The results indicate that (during the last month), the majority of the participants felt nervous and edgy (81.8%), and hopeless or sad (68.2%). According to the participants, the feelings of hopelessness and discouragement were significantly affecting their ability to rebound (84.3%). Participants had mixed feelings in regards of the fear generated by COVID-19, 42.6% reported extreme anxiety or panic, 40.6% were uncomfortable to think about COVID-19, and 42.6% were afraid of losing their lives due to the illness. The fear of COVID-19 predicted 19.7% (Adjusted R 2 = 0.197; F = 21.32; p = .000) of the participants' mental health well-being. In summary, the results suggest the presence of important psychological stressors related to COVID-19 that could potentially led to the development of mental health disorders among the Peruvian police and armed forces.

Work, telework, and mental health during COVID-19

“…Of course, the pandemic posed a context of health risk for frontline employees who continued to work in their usual settings, often due to job overload or substandard conditions to perform job duties without adequate health safety. Among the frontline workers who had to face the pandemic in their daily places of employment due to the essential role of their functions are health professionals, health care providers, food distributors, public and private security personnel (caregivers, police, and military personnel), informal workers, and journalists [21][22][23][24][25][26][27] . Several studies have documented the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of these employees and, in many cases, remote emotional care and psychosocial support services have been successfully implemented in work settings.…”

Perception of the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on police work and police officers in Croatia

“…No, određena istraživanja ukazuju na znatne psihičke teškoće koje su policajci iskazivali tijekom pandemije. Tako su Caycho-Rodríguez et al (2021. ) pokazali kako su se tijekom pandemije peruanski policajci u njihovom istraživanju u velikom postotku (82 %) osjećali nervozno i napeto te tužno i beznadno (63 %) dok ih je manje (43 %) osjećalo tjeskobu i paniku.…”

Trabajo, teletrabajo y salud mental en el contexto COVID-19

“…Entre los trabajadores de primera línea que debieron afrontar la pandemia en sus lugares cotidianos de trabajo, debido al papel esencial de sus funciones, se encuentran el personal sanitario, proveedores de salud, distribuidores de alimentos, el personal de seguridad pública y privada (cuidadores, policía y personal militar), trabajadores informales, periodistas, etc. [21][22][23][24][25][26][27] Para estas poblaciones específicas, no sólo se cuenta con varios estudios que documentaron el impacto de la pandemia sobre la salud mental de tales trabajadores, sino también, en muchos casos, favorablemente se implementaron servicios remotos de atención emocional y apoyo psicosocial.…”