NCJ Number
67633
Date Published
1979
Length
20 pages
Annotation
THIS PAPER IDENTIFIES ACTUAL SOURCES OF JOB-RELATED STRESS FOR CORRECTION OFFICERS FROM A NEW JERSEY STUDY. BOTH THE PERSONAL AND MANAGERIAL ANTECEDENTS OF THESE STRESS SOURCES ARE EXAMINED.
Abstract
THE NEW JERSEY STUDY OF 143 STATE AND COUNTY CORRECTION OFFICERS ENTAILED 33-PAGE QUESTIONNAIRES SOLICITING OFFICERS' RESPONSES ON EXPERIENCES WITH STRESS IN TERMS OF PHYSICAL HEALTH, EMOTIONAL AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS AND JOB PERFORMANCE, PERCEPTIONS OF STRESS SOURCES, AND COPING TECHNIQUES. RESPONSES WERE ANALYZED FOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN STATE VERSUS COUNTY, BLUE HAT VERSUS WHITE HAT (SERGEANT AND ABOVE), AND SHORT-TERM VERSUS LONG-TERM (MORE THAN 2 YEARS OFFICER SERVICE) OFFICERS. THE CORRECTION OFFICERS IN THIS STUDY REPORTED EVEN MORE STRESS-RELATED PHYSICAL ILLNESSES (ULCERS, HYPERTENSION, HEART DISEASE) THAN DID POLICE OFFICERS IN A PREVIOUS STUDY, EVEN THOUGH POLICE WORK IS RECOGNIZED AS PARTICULARLY STRESSFUL. COUNTY OFFICERS APPEARED LESS STRESSED THAN STATE OFFICERS. SELF-ESTEEM AT WORK SEEMED TO BE A MORE IMPORTANT VARIABLE THAN LENGTH OF SERVICE OR JOB STATUS. FOR ALL GROUPS, ROLE AMBIGUITY AND LACK OF ROLE AUTONOMY WERE SEEN AS PRIMARY SOURCES OF STRESS. FURTHER EVALUATION USED A CORRELATION ANALYSIS OF THE MAJOR SOURCES OF STRESS WITH THE SELYE STRESS INDEX. IT WAS FOUND THAT ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS WERE MORE IMPORTANT AS ACTUAL STRESS PRODUCERS THAN THOSE INHERENT IN THE JOB. ALSO, ABSENCE OF ROLE CLARITY, IN TERMS OF ROLE AMBIGUITY AND ROLE CONFLICT, WAS MORE CRITICAL THAN A LACK OF ROLE AUTONOMY. OVERALL, IT APPEARS THAT MANAGERIAL ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATED WITH TASK ARE PARAMOUNT AND CRUCIAL, AND THAT STRUCTURING OF TASK IS ESSENTIAL IN REDUCING STRESS. TRAINING WOULD HELP MANAGERS SERVE ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS BY TEACHING THEM TO DEFINE OFFICERS' ROLES, WORK DIRECTLY WITH OFFICERS IN THEIR ROLE CLARIFICATION AND STRUCTURING, AND USE BETTER COMMUNICATION. REFERENCES, FOOTNOTES, AND A TABLE ARE INCLUDED. (JLF)