Police frontliners, COVID-19, health risk, work stress, Mental Health 

This study assessed the effects of health risk and operational work stress of Eastern Police District (EPD) frontliners during the COVID-19 pandemic on their mental health in terms of burnout, distress, anxiety, and depression. Mixed-method research was done with 938 EPD frontliners participating in the quantitative survey part, five of whom participated in the qualitative in-depth interview part. Findings revealed that frontliners with high COVID-19 related health risk are 6 times more likely to have high operational work stress. High operational work stress is in turn strongly associated with burnout (OR =11.61, p= 0.000), distress (OR = 6.05, p= 0.000) and depression (OR = 2.11, p= 0.018) but not with anxiety (OR = 1.15, p=0.784). High operational work stress strongly predicts overall mental health status as frontliners with high operational work stress are 5.97 times more likely to have high level of at least one indicator of mental health problem. Major issues / challenges identified were mixed feelings of stress mostly due to longer work hours and separation from significant others. Overall, this study provides empirical evidence on adverse effects of health risks and operational work stress on the mental health of EPD police frontliners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recommended strategies under a Mental Health Program for the PNP in the New Normal are proactive measures and resiliency building through Annual Mental Health Check-In Retreat, Research-based Mental Health First Aid Course, and strategies to improve mental health seeking behaviors through a functional mental health surveillance system using an innovative mental health app and enhanced local helpdesk.