Job demands, job resources, and burnout among police officers

Stress and burnout: The significant difference.

This study explores the impact of work environment, work‐family conflict, and coping mechanisms on physical and psychological stresses of police officers. Using survey data from a large police department located in the New England area, we pay specific attention to analyzing similar and dissimilar results while comparing across gender groups. Our research indicates that for both gender groups, work‐family conflict (spillover) and destructive coping mechanisms are among the strongest and most consistent stressors, regardless of the measures of dependent variable employed (i.e. somatization, anxiety and depression). On the other hand, we also find divergent impact of exposures to negative work environment, camaraderie, and constructive coping mechanisms on different measures of work related stresses across the two gender groups. Implications of these convergent and divergent effects are discussed.

Gender and police stress: The convergent and divergent impact of work environment, work‐family conflict, and stress coping mechanisms of female and male police officers

– The purpose of this paper is to explore whether male and female police officers report different levels of occupational stress and burnout. Also, the research seeks to examine whether various factors that are purported to influence occupational stress and burnout have differential effects on male and female officers., – Using a sample of police officers working in a large metropolitan department in the Northeast, the paper begins by using t‐tests to make gender comparisons between the average levels of occupational stress and burnout between male and female officers. Next, separate multivariate analyses were run for male and female officers to determine how a set of independent variables measuring the work‐environment, coping mechanisms, and other demographic characteristics affected the measures of occupational stress and burnout., – The findings indicate that male and female officers did not report significantly different levels of occupational stress and burnout. Results of the separate multivariate analyses reveal that, although there are similar predictors of stress and burnout for male and female officers, differences did exist in the models, lending support to the assertion that the female officers may experience unique stressors in the police organization. The multivariate results also indicate that African‐American female officers report significantly higher levels of burnout than other officers., – The current research adds to the knowledge about how levels and predictors of work‐related stress and burnout compare between male and female police officers. The current study is limited by its focus on only one police department located in the Northeast. This may limit the generalizability of the results., – The results of the study have implications for programs and policies that seek to prevent stress and burnout among police officers. The results of the current study indicate that a one‐program‐fits‐all approach may not be the best way for departments to help officers to deal with stress and burnout, since male and female officers may not experience or deal with these issues in a similar fashion.

Occupational stress and burnout between male and female police officers: Are there any gender differences?

This study examined a research model developed to understand work attitudes and emotional and physical well-being. Data were collected from 828 police officers (including 738 men and 62 women) using questionnaires completed anonymously. Five groups of predictor variables identified in previous research were considered: individual demographic and situational variables, stressful events, work-family conflict, coping responses, and psychological burnout components. Considerable support for the model was found. Work attitudes and psychological well-being were more strongly predicted than were physical health and lifestyle behaviors.

Stressful Events, Work-Family Conflict, Coping, Psychological Burnout, and Well-Being among Police Officers:

This article presents an empirically derived model of police officer burnout based on 199 male police officers. A brief review of research on police officer stress is also provided.

Alan M. Goodman

Papers

A model for police officer burnout