Occupational and Personal Stress Factors for Urban Law Enforcement Officers at Varying Years of Service

Law enforcement officers experience stress from multiple outlets; including operational stress relating to the daily functions of their jobs and personal stress from their lives outside of their jobs. As officers move through their careers, they acquire new skills and knowledge. They also begin to feel the effects of long-term stress differently. This study looks at operational and personal stress factors through the scope of years of service using a digital survey with the Operational Police Stress Questionnaire (McCreary & Thompson, 2013) to measure operational stress and a personal stress factors inventory. Nineteen active sworn-police officers participated in the study. The mean stress scores were calculated for each stress factor on both inventories for Department A (DA) as a whole (DA, n= 19), then divided into two groups. Group 1 consisted of participants with ten years or less of service (G1, n= 7) and Group 2 consisted of participants with eleven years or more of service (G2, n= 12). The total stress scores were calculated for DA with the frequencies for the severity levels of the stress. The mean stress scores for G1 and G2 were calculated for both inventories and compared. G2 was observed to have a slightly lower mean stress score for both inventories than G1. Common stress factors for both groups were found in the variables ‘Finding Time to Stay in Good Physical Condition’ and ‘Maintaining Wellness Habits’. Differences in stress factors were found between G1 and G2, with G1 having higher levels in 'Shift Work' and 'Working Alone at Night' and G2 having higher levels in 'Fatigue' and 'Occupation-Related Health Issues'. Results suggest Department-Provided Resources should be aimed towards creating programs that are accessible and tailored towards the stress factors the officers are concerned with.