Work Stress and Professional Burnout in Greek Police Officers

Abstract

Background The purpose of the study was to explore the views of Greek police officers on the factors that may cause occupational stress and contribute to the development of burnout. Methods The study was conducted during the months of February to May 2023 and the sample of the study consisted of 101 active police officers working in various departments and regions of Greece. The research instrument was a questionnaire consisting of four parts (demographic data, two job stress scales and a burnout scale). Results The results of the study show that Greek police officers have moderate levels of occupational stress, while it was found that they are not particularly affected by burnout syndrome. It was also shown that their demographic characteristics affect their job stress and burnout. More specifically, it was found that occupational stress among male police officers was lower than among female police officers. Complementarily, this study indicated that police officers did not show a higher mean level on the dimensions of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization but a higher mean level on the dimension of personal achievement. Conclusion Therefore, from the overall results, the police officers involved in our study do not seem to be particularly affected by burnout syndrome. It is worth mentioning that the good prevention practices suggested in the study's discussion on managing occupational stress will contribute to the improvement of the police profession in Greece and further reduce the levels of occupational stress and burnout.