The role of the sense of coherence and stress coping strategies as indicators of readiness to execute tasks in crisis situations among police officers, national fire service members and military career officers

One of the main factors connected with the effectiveness of realizing tasks in crisis situations is the psycho-physiological condition of the team members. The specificity of tasks, which are carried out during crisis management, imposes the risk of functioning under pressure. Crisis response teams can counteract or foster the development of a crisis situation if the tasks are delayed or performed incorrectly. The aim of the article is to examine stress coping strategies and the sense of coherence in army, police, and fire brigade adepts. The level of the sense of coherence was assessed using the SOC-29 questionnaire (Antonovsky, 1995), whereas stress coping strategies were measured using the CISS questionnaire (Endler & Parker, 1990). The results revealed no significant differences between the representatives of the three formations in their sense of coherence or stress coping strategies. Statistical differences between the groups were noted for the following subscales: avoidance strategy, engagement in substitutionary tasks, and searching for social contact. There were no significant correlations between the total and subscale scores of the measures.