NCJ Number
206185
Journal
Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology Volume: 19 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2004 Pages: 36-44
Date Published
2004
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study was designed to explore the interrelationship among stress, anxiety, and depression in law enforcement personnel.
Abstract
Stress, anxiety, and depression are the three most investigated psychopathologies in both current and historical psychological literature. There has been a recent increase in the attention given to these areas due to the reports that the prevalence of these syndromes is increasing in both male and female populations, and across all age categories. In the workplace, commonly observed outcomes of stress, anxiety, and depression include decrease in job performance and job satisfaction. In this study, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales were administered to police officers from a medium sized police department in Massachusetts. Correlation coefficients were conducted on the data. Additionally, t-tests were performed on demographic data regarding marital status and exercise to examine possible mediating factors in the development of symptoms. Exercise was found to be a mediating factor in this study, however, this was true only for the symptoms of stress. This study’s findings may prove more helpful if future research is able to determine precisely what relationships exist between stress, anxiety, and depression. Future studies may benefit from a larger and more diverse sample population that may provide more representative information. Table, references