NCJ Number
147031
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 21 Issue: 6 Dated: (1993) Pages: 553-572
Date Published
1993
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This article reports on the development of a measure for examining the daily hassles and uplifts that are common in police work. This scale is relevant to the study of the stress involved in police work.
Abstract
It is generally believed that police work is highly stressful. This article reports on the development of a valid test for assessing the daily work experiences, both positive and negative, that influence police officer perception of the quality of life (PQOL). Major events such as police shootings were excluded for the purposes of this study. Data was collected through the use of a self-report questionnaire to which 330 police officers of all different ranks in the Australian police department responded. The study identified 19 dimensions of police hassles and 12 dimensions of police uplifts which can divided into two groups reflecting organizational and operational experiences. Organizational hassles and uplifts were found to have a stronger correlation with job satisfaction and PQOL than did operational experiences. Police officers reported more favorable levels of PQOL than the norm for the general population. These results weaken the assertion that police work is highly stressful. The author suggests the need for further studies of police work that consider the effect of both positive and negative experiences on the officer's well-being. 5 tables, 2 appendixes