FAMILISM, REFERENCE GROUPS, AND FAMILY SATISFACTION AMONG POLICE OFFICERS

• NCJ Number: 58213
• Journal: Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Dated: (JUNE 1979) Pages: 179-185
• Author(s): J M JACQUES; R J MUTCHNICK
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 7 pages
• Corporate Author: International Assoc of Chiefs of Police
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: FORM OF THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE SOUTHWESTERN COUNCIL ON FAMILY RELATIONS, FEBRUARY 1978

Annotation

FAMILISM, THE MULTIGENERATIONAL POSITIVE REGARD FOR FAMILY LIFE, AMONG POLICE OFFICERS IS INVESTIGATED.

Abstract

THE OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY WAS TO ASSESS SATISFACTION WITH POLICE FAMILY LIFE, WHICH HAS BEEN TYPICALLY CHARACTERIZED AS PROBLEMATIC AND CRISIS-RIDDEN, DUE TO SUCH FACTORS AS CONSTANT SHIFT ROTATION, INTERRUPTED PLANS, AND EMOTIONAL CONSTRAINTS OF POLICE WORK. A MAJOR SOUTHEASTERN METROPOLITAN CITY WITH A POLICE FORCE OF 956 WAS SELECTED FOR THE 1977 QUESTIONNAIRE--ORIENTED STUDY. 855 WHITE MALES, 70 BLACK MALES, 18 WHITE FEMALES, 2 BLACK FEMALES, AND 11 MEMBERS OF OTHER RACES PARTICIPATED IN QUESTIONNAIRE COMPLETION. THE CRITERION VARIABLE OF FAMILISM WAS TESTED WITH REGARD TO THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: AGE, YEARS OF EMPLOYMENT AS A POLICE OFFICER, PARENTAL OCCUPATION, OFFICERS' EDUCATION, PERCENTAGE OF FAMILY LIVING IN THE COMMUNITY, NUMBER OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS, FAMILY SATISFACTION SCORES, AND COLLEAGUE REFERENCE GROUP IMPORTANCE SCORES. POSITIVE CORRELATIONS WHEN PREDICTING FAMILISM (IN RANK ORDER OF IMPORTANCE) WERE: (1) THE PERCENTAGE OF FAMILY LIVING IN THE AREA; (2) THE RATED IMPORTANCE OF COLLEAGUES, OR FELLOW POLICE OFFICERS; (3) WHETHER THE OFFICER'S MOTHER HAD BEEN EMPLOYED, INDICATING THAT THOSE REPORTING THAT THEIR MOTHERS HAD WORKED HAD LOWER FAMILISM SCORES; (4) DEGREE OF SATISFACTION WITH FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS; AND (5) WHETHER PARENTS WERE STILL MARRIED. AFFECTIVE RATINGS OF RELATIONSHIPS, SUCH AS THOSE MEASURED BY COLLEAGUE IMPORTANCE AND FAMILY SATISFACTION CORRELATED WELL WITH FAMILISTIC ORIENTATIONS. IN ADDITION, HIGHER FAMILISM RATINGS OCCURRED WHEN A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF FAMILY LIVED NEARBY. FINALLY, THOSE OFFICERS WHOSE PARENTS WERE STILL ALIVE AND MARRIED TO EACH OTHER USUALLY DEMONSTRATED HIGHER REGARD FOR FAMILISTIC VALUES. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE DATA SUPPORT A MORE POSITIVE ASSESSMENT OF FAMILISM WITH REGARD TO THAT MULTIGENERATIONAL POSITIVE REGARD FOR FAMILY LIFE. FOOTNOTES AND TABULAR DATA ARE INCLUDED. (LWM)