The Effect of Perceived Stress on Coping Mechanism Among Traffic Enforcers in Danao City Cebu

A Concept Paper
Presented
To

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree of
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CRIMINOLOGY

By:

2023
 Background of the Study

Traffic enforcers play a vital role in maintaining public order and safety in our roads. A properly trained
traffic enforcer coupled with the best practices in the enforcement of traffic laws will ensure a safer road for the
public particularly to motorists and pedestrians (Gatchalian,2014). Traffic enforcers help keep roads and
walkways free of congestion so regular traffic, emergency vehicles and pedestrians can move about safely.
Traffic officers are responsible for directing traffic during parades, road work or accidents. Sometimes traffic
enforcers direct pedestrian foot traffic. Traffic officers may also control crowds during emergencies to make
sure fire and rescue workers can get to the scene safely (Blake,2018). They perform an absolutely vital role here
– the roads are a better place with them (Bosworth,2017).

Traffic police officers faces many challenges in their line of duty to the protection country and its

citizens. (Omar, Aluwi, Hussein, Mohd & Dalina,2020). Traffic Police Officers, (Deb Chakraborty,
Chatterjee, & Srivastava,2005) found that the main causes of stress were inadequate rest, no leave, abstaining
from social occasions and excessive work pressure. Furthermore, there is lot of stress and stress associated
mental illness among the traffic police. Many environmental factors are responsible for this development.
Measurement of the stress levels and implementation of coping strategies are very important to maintain the
health of the traffic police (Krishnamurthy & Sharma). According to World Health Organization (2023),stress
can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. Stress is a natural human
response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives. Everyone experiences stress to some
degree. The way we respond to stress, however, makes a big difference to our overall well-being. Stress affects
both the mind and the body. Doing what matters in times of stress – aims to equip people with practical skills to
cope with stress.

Coping mechanisms are strategies that help people deal with stress and uncomfortable emotions.
Whether you realize it or not, you are using coping mechanisms regularly. These behaviors can help you cope
with stress in a positive way or can sometimes be harmful . (Bailey,2022). According to Lazarus and Folkman’s
(1984) model, people differ in their sensitivity and vulnerability to stressful events and thus react differently in
stressful situations (Peeters et al., 1995) . An individual who experiences a stressful situation can react in one of
two ways. Emotion-focused coping is defined as decreasing emotional stress, including strategies such as
abstention, blaming others, keeping one’s distance, selective attention, and finding something valuable in
negative events. Problem-focused coping includes problem-solving strategies and dealing effectively with
stressful stimuli (Folkman et al., 1986).
Most studies conducted focuses only on the stress encountered by the police officers compared to traffic
enforcers. Thus, the researchers are more interested in determining the effects of perceived stress on coping
mechanism among traffic enforcers. Therefore, the main goal or objective of this study is to assess the level and
effects of perceived stress and what are the coping mechanisms they need to use to reduce or manage the
perceived stress that traffic enforcers encounter in their daily job.

There is lot of stress and stress associated

mental
illness among the traffic police fraternity. Many
environmental
factors are responsible for this development.
Measurement of
the stress levels and implementation of
coping strategies are
very important to maintain the health of the
traffic poli
Preliminary Literature Review
The concept of stress at workplace is not a new one and lot of studies have been conducted on the area.
The concept of stress at workplace was first in 1936 by Hans Selye. His main focus was on the biological
aspects of stress which he termed as eustress (positive stress) and distress (negative stress). Later studies
focused on physiological and psychological aspects of stress on employees and its management. Oxford
dictionary terms stress as an emotional state of an individual resulting from external environment putting too
much demand on that individual. It is also considered as a response that results from demographic differences
among individuals (DeFrank & Ivancevich, 1998).The concept of stress at workplace is not a new one and lot
of studies have been conducted on the area. The concept of stress at workplace was first in 1936 by Hans Selye.
His main focus was on the biological aspects of stress which he termed as eustress (positive stress) and distress
(negative stress). Later studies focused on physiological and psychological aspects of stress on employees and
its management. Oxford dictionary terms stress as an emotional state of an individual resulting from external
environment putting too much demand on that individual. It is also considered as a response that results from
demographic differences among individuals (DeFrank and Ivancevich, 1998)
The work of traffic officers is very important yet quite stressful, thus the need for emotional stability,
self-awareness and stress management skills in their field (Pienaar 2007). Interestingly, people in general
respond differently even when they are confronted with identical stressors (Louw & Viviers 2010), and so do
traffic officers. The concept of stress at workplace is not a new one and lot of studies have been conducted on
the area. The concept of stress at workplace was first in 1936 by Hans Selye. His main focus was on the
biological aspects of stress which he termed as eustress (positive stress) and distress (negative stress). Oxford
dictionary terms stress as an emotional state of an individual resulting from external environment putting too
much demand on that individual. In General adaptation syndrome (GAS) theory by Hans Selye it describes the
process your body goes through when you are exposed to any kind of stress, positive or negative. It has three
stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. If you do not resolve the stress that has triggered GAS, it can lead to
physical and mental health problems.
Stress is a widespread phenomenon of the human lifespan. It is the way how people react both
physically and psychologically to changes, events and situations in their lives. People experience stress in
different ways for different reasons at different levels as stress is a subjective state of humans. The term
originally derived from the Latin word of ‘stringere’ which means strain, hardship, adversity or affliction
(Prasad, Vaidya & Kumar, 2016). The term was first used by Hans Selye in 1936 (who is considered the father
of stress studies) in biological terms (as cited in Ganster & Rosen, 2013). Selye (1936) defined stress as a non-
specific response of the human body to any demand for a change of stressors. Further, he described that
stressors are the factors that might lead to stress. A stressor can be a biological agent, environmental condition
or event (Llyod, King, & Chenoweth, 2002; ILO, 2016). However, in psychology stress is simply defined as
mental pressure and tension (Shahsavarani, Abadi & Kalkhoran, 2015). Lazarus (1966) defined stress as a
feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed their resources and capacities (as cited in
Ganster & Rosen, 2013). Similarly, Robbins and Coulter (2012) stated that, stress as an adverse reaction of
people as a result of extraordinary demands, constraints or opportunities. However, stress reactions are based on
one’s perception of an event or situation. If one perceives a situation negatively, he/she is likely to feel
‘distressed’ (Robbins & Judge, 2013). Distress is a more dangerous form of stress which leads to biological,
psychological and social problems and could create even more serious damages to humans. Although stress is
discussed in a negative context, it is not always bad. It can be positive; especially if a person perceives a
situation in a positive manner, stress might lead to potential gains. Scholars named it as ‘eustress’ (Ismail et al,
2015). For instance, a functional level of stress might allow an employee to perform at his or her optimum level
in critical times.
Occupational stress is an emotional condition resulting from external factors placing too much demand
to an individual. Selye (1956) was the first person who discussed and introduced the stress concept.
Occupational stress is a recent topic for researchers in organizational studies (Deschamps, Paganon ‐Badinier,
Marchand, & Merle, 2003). Stress is described as a self ‐perceived unpleasant or bad impact on an individual
(Brown & Campbell, 1990). Hammad et al. (2012) discussed that Oxford Dictionary defines occupational stress
as emotional state of a person generating from his/her outside or inside environment and placing too much
demand on employee. Goodheart, Clopton, and Robert‐McComb (2001) described stress as a negative
experience among all age groups. Stress can be viewed as tensions, back pain feeling, headache substance
abuse, high blood pressure, eating disorder, and especially in terms of bad and poor performance. Bashir and
Ismail Ramay (2010) defined stress as a situation which occurs when someone gets or feels burden. They stated
that stress is an undesirable state, which any person can suffer from it. Anderson (2003) discussed that stress
occurs in each and every large and small organization and workplace. Similarly, Dar, Akmal, Naseem, and din
Khan (2011) pointed out that occupational stress is a common phenomenon in all sphere of life.
Stress is unavoidable on workplaces, employees who feel stress are more likely to be less motivated,
less satisfied, show poor performance, and less productivity (Leka, 2005). Wang et al. (2014) took occupational
stress as harmful psychological and physical feelings of emotional reactions that are produced due to job
requirements, which do not match capabilities and resources of employees. Kahn (1970) discussed that
occupational stress is the consequence of feature that allocated responsibility of employees in organization.
Rosenthal and Alter (2012) emphasized job stress as individual anxiety on job place. Topper (2007) discussed
occupational stress as a situation being faced by individuals where natural demands are in inconsistency with
employee abilities to fulfill expectations. He discussed that occupational stress creates negative impression on
work place and also puts negative impact on employee performance in organizations.
The traffic work environment presents stressors (Mushwana 1998), the effects of which may manifest as
aggression and frustration, adversely affecting relationships with others (Pienaar 2007:93). One such stressor
is work conditions. Brutal incidents, crime and possibly being involved in accidents seem to pose a threat to
work conditions. These may affect individuals emotionally and psychologically (Edwards 1992). Further,
exhausting shift work or odd working hours may have a negative influence on physical well-being. A second
stressor seems to be treatment from others. Traffic officers may face negative attitudes from road users (Pienaar
2007), poor treatment by colleagues and unfounded accusations. To cope participants may alter their
perceptions around this treatment (Edwards 1992), alter distressed relationships between themselves and others,
and regulate the emotional distress experienced (Boehmer, Luszczynska & Schwarzer 2007). A further stressor
appears to be inadequate coping mechanisms. Participants indicated that there are inadequate coping
mechanisms and counselling services available at departmental level to assist in dealing with these stressors,
and subsequently issues are just left without being attended to.
Coping is a positive psychological construct (Coetzee & Viviers 2007), which refers to the perceptual,
mental or behavioral efforts that people employ to deal with situations deemed potentially difficult and stressful
(Schreuder & Coetzee 2011). In addition, coping ability may be viewed by some as the presence or absence of
coping skills (Ryan, Rapley & Dziurawiec 2014), but may differ in the extent to which contextual factors, such
as social factors as opposed to individual factors, are considered (Ryan, Rapley & Dziurawiec 2014). For the
purpose of this study, coping is viewed as the efforts employed by individuals to reduce the negative influences
of stress on personal well-being, which may involve individual resources as well as their perceptions of
challenges (Cheng, Mauno & Lee 2014; Edwards 1988).
Lack of coping skills may negatively affect employees and organizations, through poor service to
society, increased employee absenteeism and turnover (Dewe, O'Driscoll & Cooper 2010). Pienaar (2007)
propose the solution to be increased traffic officer training at departmental level focused at assisting them to
cope better with stressors. Lazarus and Folkman concentrate on two types of coping strategies: problem-focused
coping and emotion-focused coping. In the problem-focused coping, efforts are made to change the stressful
situations through problem solving, decision-making and/or direct action. In emotion-focused coping, attempts
are made to regulate distressing emotion, sometimes by changing the meaning of the stressful situation
cognitively without actually changing the situation (Folkman & Lazarus, 1985). Recent study done by Sacchi
(2000) indicated that coping includes behavior and thoughts employed by the individual to manage the stressing
situation. Moreover, according to him, Folkman and Lazarus’ theory defines two coping principles: the first
category, problem focused coping, refers to strategies employed to alter or manage source of stress. The second
category, emotion focused coping, has to do with the strategies used to manage emotions. Distinction between
these two general types of coping, Lazarus and Folkman (1989) explained them in detail. According to them,
problem-focused coping is aimed at problem solving or doing something to alter the source of the stress.
Whereas emotion-focused coping is aimed at reducing or managing the emotional distress that is associated
with the situation.

Statement of the Problem

The study sought to assess the effects of Perceived Stress on Coping Mechanisms among Traffic
Enforcers in Danao City. Specifically, the study aimed to answer the following questions:
1. What is the profile of the participants in terms of:
1.0 age
1.1 gender
1.2 number of dependents in the Family
2. The different perceived stress each participant have (Work-related/Personal)
3. The different coping mechanisms of each participant
4. How did each coping mechanism develop or begin?
5. What solutions could be offered to solve this dilemma?

Proposed Methodology
Research Design
The researchers used a quantitative method upon doing this research wherein it highlights to know what
are the different causes of Perceived Stress in Traffic enforcers and how these Perceived stresses affect their
individual Coping Mechanisms.
Research Participants
 A total of 10 participants will be gathered consisting of full-time Traffic Enforcers in the City of Danao
with ages 30 and above. In this case, the researchers can have more localized responses from the respondents.
The researchers will most importantly highlight the majorities’ opinion about the capability of this study.
Research Instruments
The study used a scale methodology in accumulating and determining information through specifically a
“Perceived Stress Scale” and “ Brief-Coping Orientation to Problems Experience ( Brief-COPE ) Scale” which
focuses on putting the thoughts, feelings and opinions into measurable form. These questionnaires evaluate the
degree to which an individual has perceived life as unpredictable, uncontrollable and overloading over the
previous month. The scales contain significant questions regarding to the research study.
Research Procedure
Before the survey will be conducted the researchers will write a letter for the respondents as a part of the
research protocol. After the approval, the researchers will directly go to the chosen Traffic Enforcers regardless
of the place they are on and the researchers will distribute the questionnaires without unnecessary disturbance to
their work or activities. Furthermore, the researchers will make sure that all clarifications and questions of the
respondents are being answered with confidentiality. Right after the survey, the collected data will be interpreted
by the researchers.
Data Analysis
Through using the two scales (PSS and Coping scale), the researchers will yield two different scores and
interpretation from the two scales. For the PSS (Perceived Stress Scale) scoring and interpretation questions ask
about feelings and thoughts during the last month. In each case, respondents are asked how often they felt a
certain way on a five-point scale from ‘never’ to ‘very often’. Answers are then scored as follow:
Never = 0
Almost never = 1
Sometimes = 2
Fairly often = 3
Very often = 4
To calculate a total PSS score, responses to the four positively stated items (items 4, 5, 7 and 8.) first
need to be reversed (i.e. 0 => 4; 1 => 3; 2 => 2; 3 => 1; 4 => 0). The PSS score is then obtained by summing
across all items. Higher scores indicate higher levels of perceived stress.
On the other hand, coping scale scoring and interpretation are presented for three overarching coping
styles as average scores (sum of item scores divided by number of items), indicating the degree to which the
respondent has been engaging in that coping style.
I haven’t been doing this at all = 1
A little bit = 2
A medium amount = 3
I’ve been doing this a lot = 4
During interpretation it is most helpful to look at the pattern of responding across the three subscales.
Consistently low scores on all subscales may indicate either: * The respondent does not feel they have many
stressors to cope with. For example, that life is stress free. * A lack of reflective capacity or resistance to
disclose personal information. * The respondent does not have many coping skills.
 Significance of the Study
The study greatly contributes to the Traffic enforcers in Danao City in identifying the effects of their
perceived stress on coping mechanisms. The study serves as a tool to enhance decision-making in transportation
management, regulation, and safety for all, as well as to start finding solutions to problems related to roadways.
Additionally, the study offers an evaluation of the adaptability of traffic enforcers in order to have effective,
efficient, and safe administration and enforcement of transportation. This study also provides positive effects to
certain people and areas the City of Danao.
Possible Limitations of the Study
There are several limitations within the context of this study. The study will be done with a small sample
size and this can be a limitation. The fact that the study will be conducted only in one city affected the sample
size. Additionally, there is a criteria made by the researchers which will limit as to who can only be the
respondents. Furthermore, the researchers will not be in the position to verify the authenticity of the information
provided by the respondents since the study was questionnaire-based hence; the outcome of the study should be
interpreted with caution.

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