Die verband tussen lokus van beheer, koherensiesin en psigosomatiese siektetoestande by die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens in die Noord-Vrystaat

English: The figures for absenteeism from work as a result of psychosomatic illnesses is becoming an increasing problem in the SAPS. According to Psychological Services of the. SAPS in the Free State, 2466 working days were lost, among others, in the Northen, Eastern and Southern Free State for the SAPS in 1998. This loss in working days as a result of stress and stress-related illness was experienced within a period of 5 months. This trend has an impotant effect on productivity and the economy, as well as the existing health condition of members of the SAPS. In spite of the tremendous growth in population, police officers are not employed accordingly, and this has led to an increased work load, which contributes to the person's experience of stress. The trend that police officers who take sick leave have to take sick leave again a few weeks later for the problem may not always be enjoying the correct treatment. It is in this respect that predictors of psychosomatic illnesses can be valuable. In this study the question of whether the variables, namely locus of control, sense of coherence and a number of biographical variables such as gender and work division could predict the incidence of psychosomatic illnesses was investigated. As a study group comprising SAPS members in the Northen Free State was selected for the study. Men as well as women, and members from visible policing and specialist units were included. A biographical questionnaire, Sense of coherence questionnaire, Locus of control questionnaire and the Everly Stress and Symptom Inventory were completed by the study group. On the basis of the relation that exists between stress and psychosomatic illnesses, psychosomatic illnesses were measured by stress arousal and stress symptomatology respectively. The data were analyzed statistically by using hierarchical regression analysis. It was found that sense of coherence produced the largest contribution to the variance in stress arousal and stress symptomatology. Persons with a high sense of coherence consequently experience fewer symtpoms of stress arousal and stress symptomatology. The contribution of the set of variables of locus of control and the demographical variables is smaller than that of sense of coherence. As far as locus of control is concerned, police officers with an external locus of control experience more stress arousal symptoms than those with a internal locus of control. Police officers with an internal locus of cotrol experience more stress symptomatology than those with an external locus of control. The biographical variable gender does not explain a significant variance in stress arousal or stress symptomatology. Police officers in specialist units experience more symptoms of stress symptomatology than those in visible policing. Work division does not explain a significant part in variance in stress arousal. Finally a number of proposals are made in cosequence of the findings and conclusions, which could lead to futher research and developments in this field