Police officer perceptions of occupational stress: the state of the art

Abstract

PurposeThe current study takes stock of the research on perceived stress among police officers by quantitatively synthesizing the available empirical literature on the subject.Design/methodology/approachIn all, 103 studies from both published and unpublished sources are meta‐analyzed, producing 338 individual effect size estimates.FindingsAnalysis of predictor domains reveals that most make equally modest contributions to the complex process of stress and coping.Research limitations/implicationsInconsistency in selection and measurement across studies precludes meaningful comparison and analysis of individual correlates of perceived stress, emphasizing the need for more standardization in the research. Particular attention to theoretically driven selection of variables, reliability of measurement instruments, and a higher degree of rigor in methodological quality, generally, will allow for more confidence in the body of empirical work.Originality/valueThis study is the first attempt to systematically synthesize over 40 years of empirical research in the area of perceived stress among police officers. The systematic documentation of gaps and inconsistencies in the literature provide direction for future research in this popular field of study.