Quality of Life in Riot Police: Links to Anger, Emotion Regulation, Depression, and Anxiety

Police work is accepted as a high-risk and stressful occupation, where affective variables may influence both work performance and perceived quality of life (QoL) in police officers. The current study aimed to investigate the associations between QoL, emotion regulation, anger, and mental health in a sample of 156 Turkish riot police officers. Study design was descriptive and cross-sectional. Data was collected using self-report measures. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that depression and cognitive reappraisal as an emotion regulation strategy were significant predictors of all domains of QoL. Trait anger was the third significant predictor of physical health and environment QoL, whereas anxiety emerged as the third significant predictor of psychological health QoL. Due to the high rates of depression and anxiety found in riot police, routine screening and early interventions to promote mental health should be conducted in this special population. It is suggested to implement psychological prevention programs which encompass emotion and anger regulation training for the promotion of QoL in riot police.