Title page for ETD etd-07292011-153020
Eckelton-Moreira, Soraya Yolande Email
A comparison of police cadets' personality characteristics, coping behaviour, and psychological health before and after basic training
voor en na basiese opleiding
pre-and post basic training
The aim of the study was to explore personality profiles and coping and mental
health strategies and symptoms of police trainees and to determine any
significance in these after a training programme.
Data was gathered by means of different psychometric instruments: the
Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Ways of Coping (WOC) and
Symptoms Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) questionnaires, to evaluate the personality
characteristics, coping behaviour and psychological health of the new police
recruits. Mean scores, standard deviations, and dependent t-test scores were
used to describe the samples and the differences between investigated
variables. Data was captured on an Excel spreadsheet, after which the results
were analysed using Statistica high performance statistical software.
The personality profile of police trainees indicate that they are high in harm
avoidance and novelty seeking; low in cooperativeness and average in
persistence, self directedness and self transcendence. In terms of significant pre
and post training differences the results show an increase in depression
symptoms, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, hostility and paranoid ideations
post training. Significant differences were also found between self-controlling
strategies pre- and post-training. It appears that the recruit�s self-control
decreased after they completed their six months of training. There were no
significant differences found between the personality traits on the pre-and post
tests. Recommendations for further research are made.
AFRIKAANS : Die doel van die studie was om persoonlikheid, hantering en sielkundige
welstand profiele van polisie studente te ondersoek en om te bepaal of daar
enige beduidende veranderinge in die profiele plaasgevind het nadat hulle �n
opleidingsprogram deurloop het.
Data was ingevorder deur middel van psigometriese instrumente � die Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Ways of Coping (WOC) en
Symptoms Checklist-90-R vraelyste, om persoonlikheidseienskappe,
hanteringsgedrag en sielkundige welstand van nuwe polisiestudente te evalueer.
Gemiddelde tellings, standaardafwykings en persentasies,sowel as afhanklike ttoets
tellings is gebruik om die steekproewe en verskille tussen ondersoekende
veranderlikes te beskryf. Data was ingevoer in �n Excel dokument en resultate
was geanaliseer deur gebruik te maak van Statistica hoogs uitvoerbare
Die persoonlikheidsprofiel van polisie studente toon ho�tellings op �harm avoidance� en �novelty seeking� en gemiddelde tellings op �persistence�, �self directedness� en �self transcendence�. In terme van beduidende voor-en na toets opleiding verskille is daar �n aanduiding dat verhoging in depressie simptome, obsessief-kompulsiewe simptome, woede en paranoiese ideasies plaasgevind het na opleiding. Beduidende verskille was gevind tussen selfbeheersing strategie� in die voor-en na toets. Dit wil voorkom asof selfbeheersing
afgeneem het nadat hulle ses maande opleiding voltooi het. Daar was geen beduidende verskille tussen persoonlikheidstrekke op die voor-en na
toets nie. Aanbevelings vir verdere navorsing is gemaak.
Eckelton-Moreira, SY 2011, A comparison of police cadets' personality characteristics, coping behaviour, and psychological health before and after basic training, MA dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-07292011-153020/ >