PurposeThe police in Trinidad experience extremely stressful job conditions (e.g., elevated rates of violent crime, the rapid spread of organized crime, financial constraints, and staff shortages) which could lead to health-related problems. The purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship between job stress and health-related problems and to determine whether burnout mediates this relationship. Data from police officers in Trinidad was used to test these relationships.Design/methodology/approachUsing self-report questionnaires from all eight police station districts in Trinidad (N = 331 police officers), this study conducted structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the relationship between job stress, burnout and health-related problems.FindingsThe results indicated that officers' job stress increased their burnout and health-related problems. As the authors expected, officers' burnout, served as a mediating variable between job stress and health-related problems. In other words, job-related stress can lead to burnout, which in turn, leads to health-related problems.Research limitations/implicationsDespite meaningful findings, a few limitations (e.g., measurement issues and missing values) were present in this study.Originality/valuePolicing studies have paid less attention to Caribbean policing. Findings in this study have implications for addressing officers' health-related problems.
Police officers experience very stressful working environments which may lead to a range of negative outcomes including burnout. Police officers in Caribbean countries are no exception as they face demanding work conditions. Despite this, studies have paid little attention to Caribbean policing. Using data from the eight police divisions in Trinidad (N = 331 police officers), this study examined the relationship among social support (supervisor, co-worker, and family), occupational stress (organizational and operational) and burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment). Path analysis was used to test the hypothesis that social support served to reduce occupational stress, which in turn led to reduced burnout. The results suggested that supervisor support reduced organizational stress, while co-worker and family support reduced operational stress. Organizational stress, in turn affected emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment, while operational stress affected emotional exhaustion and depersonalization.
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