Role identification, community socio-economic status demands, and stress outcomes in police officers.
This study applied the 'job demands-resources' and 'conservation of resources' models to police work, with the specific aim to examine the possible interaction between objectively measured work demands (community socio-economic status (SES)) and personal resources (role identification) on stress-related outcomes. A total of 89 officers from 10 small, suburban police departments (five from high SES areas and five from low SES areas) completed surveys that focused on community SES demands and role identification as factors that potentially influence positive and negative psychological outcomes. Results indicated that community (SES) demands and role identification interacted to predict a variety of the outcomes. Role identification as a psychological resource served to reduce the effects of high community SES demands on emotional exhaustion. Implications of these results for future police research are discussed.
Grawitch
Matthew J
MJ
School for Professional Studies, Saint Louis University, 3840 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108, USA. grawitch@slu.edu
Barber
Larissa K
LK
Kruger
Mark H
MH
D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D010563:Personnel Turnover; D016495:Police; D024382:Professional Role / Q000523:psychology*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012933:Social Identification; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*