Note
The project was supported by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
Author(s) affiliated with: University of Illinois at Chicago, Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University.
Summary
"Prior research suggests that policing is one of the most stressful occupations. This high
level of stress is due to a variety of factors that characterize the policing profession. First, policing
is a dangerous job in which officers can encounter violent criminals or use deadly force during the
course of their daily work. Second, the bureaucratic nature of police organizations often represents
a source of stress and dissatisfaction among officers. Finally, prior research has often looked at the
important role of peer support and trust among fellow officers and supervisors in mitigating stress
and burnout in police work. Support from within the organization may take on a greater level of
salience in the realm of policing, because officers depend on fellow officers to ensure their lives and
safety.
Stress and burnout can have deleterious consequences. For the individual officer, stress and
burnout can ultimately lead to illness, mood changes, alcohol use, and sleep disturbances in the
short-term and perhaps even to cardiovascular disease and psychological disorders in the long term.
Heightened levels of stress and burnout can also affect relationships with family and friends,
and hurt officers’ overall quality of life. For the organization, research has revealed that elevated
levels of stress and associated burnout can increase citizen complaints and lead to rapid employee
turnover.
Given the implications of stress and burnout for individual officers, as well as the organization
and citizens they serve, a priority of the National Police Research Platform was to measure these
concepts. To this end, a 55-question survey was developed to measure stress, burnout, health, stressors,
and demographic information among law enforcement officers across multiple agencies of varying sizes."--Page 1.