NCJ Number
179793
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 47 Issue: 9 Dated: September 1999 Pages: 77-81
Date Published
September 1999
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Because much has been written about police officer stress but little has been written on its origin and effects on police conduct, this study examined police stress and compares critical incident stressors with general work stressors of police officers in several jurisdictions and measured stressor outcomes.
Abstract
Of 415 police officers who participated in the study, the typical age was 36 years; 84 percent were male and 16 percent were female. About 45 percent were married, 25 percent were separated, 20 percent were divorced, and 10 percent were single, Also, 68 percent were white, 25 percent were black, and 7 percent were of other races. The typical police officer had 9 years experience, and 75 percent described themselves as patrol officers whose primary duties were to respond to calls and to cruise their communities; 25 percent described themselves as detectives such as juvenile officers. Of returned study questionnaires, 68 came from western States, 125 from midwestern States, 21 from eastern States, and 201 from southern States. Approximately 40 percent of respondents said they were employed by urban police departments, while 60 percent said they worked for rural police departments. General work experiences of police officers produced more stress than critical incident expectations. When results of critical incident stressors and general work stressors were combined, the top five stress producers concerned child abuse, killing an innocent person, conflict with regulations, domestic violence, and killing or hurting a fellow police officer. Further, many stressors were linked to separation, divorce, and/or extra-marital encounters. Alcohol abuse resulted from all the tested stressors, but the critical incident stressor of killing or harming a fellow police officer and general work stressors of poor supervision and shift work contributed to alcohol abuse more often than all the stressors. Various job-related situations placed various types of police officers at risk, demonstrating the importance of the organizational context in which police officers work. 3 tables