NCJ Number
168905
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 25 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 1997 Pages: 103-113
Date Published
1997
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This article reports on the results of a comparison of police officers with prison guards on double operationalizations of stress; in addition, 37 job-related stressors (sources of stress) potentially affecting police officers and prison guards were compared.
Abstract
The police and prison guards were from agencies in Albany, Ga., a small city in the southwest corner of the State. The police group consisted of 39 officers, and the guard group was composed of 34 officers. Subjects completed the Personalized Assessment Stress Scale developed by Morse and Frost. It consists of 27 items that relate to or are symptomatic of general stress. Georgia's Peace Officer Standards and Training Council has enumerated 48 stressors potentially relevant in public safety work (1983). Each stressor was reviewed for applicability to both police officers and prison guards. A total of 37 stressors were culled from the original pool and administered to each subject. Respondents sorted each stressor into one of the following response categories: no stress, mild stress, moderate stress, high stress, and extreme stress. Data analysis shows that police officers and guards do not differ significantly in the magnitude either of "general" or of "occupation-specific" stress; however, officers and guards are found to differ on the sources of occupation-specific stress they experience. 3 tables and 20 references