NCJ Number
196212
Journal
International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Volume: 26 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2002 Pages: 85-99
Date Published
2002
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study closely examined the effect that police stress had on job satisfaction.
Abstract
Stress occurs when police officers feel discordance between the actual responsibility of the duty and their limited ability in a stress-inducing situation. It is anxiety caused by the danger experienced from police work, such as inadequate equipment, poor working conditions, low wages, fatigue, and alienation from citizens. Some external factors are relations with local communities and conflicts with other organizations. Some internal factors are excessive amount of work, strict organizational structure, and unreasonable personnel policy. This study focused on comprehending the internal and external factors of police stress, and determining how much influence each factor had on police stress. Four hundred and one police sergeant trainees at the National Police Academy in Korea were selected from April to June 2000 to answer questionnaires adapted for the scale of police stress. The research analyzed the effect that police stress had on job satisfaction. The cooperation from citizens was determined to be an essentially influential factor that evoked irritation and caused stress. The police felt stressed when citizens refuse to cooperate during their job performance. The internal factors of organization also proved to have a considerable effect on job stress; the items on future prospect and work hazard especially were revealed to be important elements. The notion that the future prospect is poor and the work hazard is high induces stress for the police. Job stress has a significant effect on job satisfaction. The anxiety and irritation experienced on duty has a significant influence on the intensity of job satisfaction. 1 figure, 4 tables, 8 notes, 19 references