NCJ Number
53657
Journal
ABSTRACTS ON POLICE SCIENCE Volume: 6 Issue: 4 Dated: (JULY/AUGUST 1978) Pages: 187-199
Date Published
1978
Length
13 pages
Annotation
SOCIAL, CULTURAL, FAMILY AND HOME LIFE, AND OCCUPATIONAL FACTORS INFLUENCING POLICE STRESS ARE CONSIDERED, AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN STRESS ARE EXPLORED IN A LITERATURE REVIEW.
Abstract
RESEARCH ON SOCIAL AND CULTURAL FACTORS TENDS TO USE THE INCIDENCE OF CHRONIC DISEASE AND MORTALITY RATES AS THE MAIN MEASUREMENT VARIABLES. SIGNIFICANT ISSUES IN SOCIAL AND CULTURAL STRESSORS ARE ALIENATION AND ANOMIE IN THE POLICE, POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS, PROFESSIONALISM, POLICE SUICIDE, AND SOCIOCULTURAL AND GEOGRAPHIC INFLUENCES. IN THE UNITED STATES, POLICE OFFICERS HAVE ONE OF THE HIGHEST DIVORCE RATES OF ANY OCCUPATIONAL GROUP. RESEARCH ON THE IMPACT OF FAMILY AND HOME LIFE CONCERNS LIFE EVENTS AND THEIR RELATION TO STRESS. METHODOLOGICAL PARAMETERS TO INCORPORATE IN STUDIES OF LIFE EVENTS AS STRESSORS ARE WELL-DESIGNED PROSPECTIVE STUDIES USING RANDOM SAMPLES OF THE POPULATION, ADEQUATE CONTROL GROUPS, OUTCOME VARIABLES CLEARLY DISTINGUISHABLE FROM INDEPENDENT VARIABLES, A RANGE OF OUTCOME ILLNESSES, AN ACCOUNT OF MEDIATING FACTORS, AND LIFE EVENTS COUNTED AS STRESSORS ONLY IF SEEN THAT WAY BY RESPONDENTS THEMSELVES. OCCUPATIONAL STRESSORS AND STRESS-RELATED OUTCOMES PERTAIN TO MENTAL HEALTH, ALCOHOLISM, SMOKING, JOB DISSATISFACTION, SPECIFIC HEALTH CONDITIONS SUCH AS CORONARY HEART DISEASE, MINOR AILMENTS, ACTUARIAL INDEXES OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESSORS AND HEALTH, PERFORMANCE, ABSENTEEISM, AND DEATH. FOR PART 2 SEE NCJ-53658. (DEP)