Coping Strategies for Work-Related Stress Affecting Performance of Administration Police Service in Narok County, Kenya

Work-related stress is a pattern of reactions that occurs when workers are presented with work demands that are not matched to their knowledge, skills or abilities, and which challenge their ability to cope. These demands may be related to time pressure or the amount of work (quantitative demands), or may refer to the difficulty of the work (cognitive demands) or the empathy required (emotional demands), or even to the inability to show one's emotions at work. The main objective of this study was to establish the coping strategies for work-related stress on the performance of the Administration Police service in Narok County, Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Data was collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found that personal sphere sources of work-related stress were prevalent meaning much more is needed to ensure personal well being of Administration Police officers in Narok County. It was found that delegation of responsibilities and taking refuge in family friends were the leading options of coping with stress among Administration police officers in Narok County. Other significant coping strategies include visits to the chaplain often to cope with work related stressful situations and exercising regularly and maintaining a sense of humor respectively as the main ways of coping of with stress. Going to church, limited taking of alcohol, meditating, smoking, eating more sensibly, getting a massage and using other drugs were other ways adopted by officers to cope with stress. However, the findings revealed that, despite the coping strategies often used such as provision of leave/pass leave, disciplinary mechanisms and hospitalization for chronic stress cases, the occurrence of work related stress was still high. It can be concluded thus from these findings that the coping strategies currently in place are not adequate to prevent and manage effects of work related stress.