NCJ Number
131829
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 19 Issue: 4 Dated: (1991) Pages: 339-349
Date Published
1991
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Self-reports of occupational sources of stress among line officers in eight Illinois municipal police departments were assessed.
Abstract
The typical respondent in the survey was a married, white male with some college training and an average of 11.4 years of service. Responses to the question regarding sources of stress were categorized into five domains of content: the organization, the task environment, the judiciary, personal or family concerns, and city government. Further analysis of the responses revealed that more than one source of stress was identified within a domain, particularly in the organization and the task environment categories. The most frequently reported source of stressors was in the organization category. These included, in order of frequency, concerns over equitable treatment from upper management personnel, shift changes, advancement and assignment, ambiguous policies and rules, case load, fears of internal reviews and investigations, paperwork, and peer pressure. In contrast to the widely accepted perception of danger as a source of police stress, task environment concerns of danger, fear of injury, and death were cited infrequently as occupational stressors by this group of police officers. 3 tables, 5 notes, and 27 references (Author abstract modified)