A total of 60 police officers from seven suburban police departments were given a questionnaire twice over a six-month period. The results of four time-lagged hierarchical regression analyses showed that high levels of police stress and life stress (measured at Time 1) were significantly related to illness (measured at Time 2). Police stress (Time 1) was significantly associated with absenteeism (Time 2). Further, hardy police officers with a high level of police stress tended to have a high level of absenteeism than hardy officers with a low level of police stress, whereas nonhardy officers experienced a high level of absenteeism regardless of their level of police stress. Implications concerning the results of this study are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AdamsG. T. (1987). Preventive law trends and compensation payments for stress-disabled workers. In QuickJ. C.BhagatR. S.DaltonJ. E.QuickJ. D. (Eds.). Work stress: Health care systems in the workplace (pp. 235–245). New York: Praeger.
2.
AjzenI.FishbeinM. (1977). Attitude-behavior relations: A theoretical analysis and review of empirical research. Psychological Bulletin, 84, 888–912.
3.
AntonovskyA. (1979). Health, stress, and coping.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
4.
AntonovskyA. (1987). Unraveling the mystery of health: How people manage stress and stay well.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
5.
BandS. R.ManueleC. A. (1987). Stress and police officer performance: An examination of effective coping behavior. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 3 (3), 30–42.
6.
BeehrT. A.NewmanJ. E. (1978). Job stress, employee health, and organizational effectiveness: A facet analysis. Personnel Psychology, 31, 665–700.
7.
BhagatR. S.McQuaidS. J.LindholmH.SegovisJ. (1985). Total life stress: A multimethod validation of the construct and its effects on organizational valued outcomes and withdrawal behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 70 (1), 202–214.
8.
BlauG. (1981). An empirical investigation of job stress, social support, service length, and job strain. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 27, 279–302.
9.
Business Week (1988, April, 18). Stress: The test Americans are failing. 75–76.
10.
CampbellJ. S.SahidJ. R.SlangD. P. (1976). The police in conflict. In CohnA. W.VianoE. C. (Eds.). Police community relations: Images, roles, and realities (pp. 396–403). New York: J. B. Lippincott.
11.
CaplanR. D.CobbS.FrenchJ. R. P.Van HarrisonR.PinneauS. R. (1975). Job demands and worker health: Main effects and occupational differences.Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
12.
Century Research Corporation. (1974). Life Stress. In SleightB.CookK. G. (Eds.). Problems in occupational safety and health: A critical review of select worker physical and psychological factor. (pp. H1–H47). Cincinnati, OH: Center for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
13.
CohnJ.CohnP. (1983). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral science (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
14.
ComptonW. C.SeemanJ.NorrisR. (1990). Self-relevant cognitions as predictors of hardiness: A serach for fundamental variables. Paper presented at the 36th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association. Atlanta, GA.
15.
DantzerM. L. (1987). Police-related stress: A critique for future research. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 3 (3), 43–48.
16.
De MeuseK. P. (1985, Fall). The life events stress-performance linkage: An exploratory study. Journal of Human Stress, 111–117.
17.
DohrenwendB. S.DohrenwendB. P. (1974). Overview and prospects for research on stressful life events. In DohrenwendB.S.DohrenwendB. P. (Eds.). Stressful life events: Their nature and effects (pp. 313–331). New York: Wiley.
18.
The Economist (U. K.) (1985, April 13). How business beats stress. 295 (7389), 83.
19.
EllisonK. W.GenzJ. S. (1978). Police officer as burned-out Samaritan. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 47 (3), 1–7.
20.
FunkS. C.HoustonB. K. (1987). A critical analysis of the Hardiness Scale's validity and utility. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 572–578.
21.
GanellenR. J.BlaneyP. H. (1984). Hardiness and social support as moderators of the effects of life stress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 156–163.
22.
HahnM. E. (1966). California life goals evaluation schedules.Palo Alto, CA: Western Psychological Services.
23.
HillgrenJ. S.BondR. B. (1975). Stress in law enforcement: Psycho-physiological correlates and legal implications. Journal of Forensic Psychology, 25–32.
24.
HinkleL. E.PlummerN. (1952). Life stress and industrial absenteeism. Industrial Medicine and Surgery, 21, 363–375.
25.
HolmesT. H.RaheR. H. (1967). The social readjustment rating scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 11, 213–218.
26.
HullJ. G.Van TreurenR. R.VirnelliS. (1987). Hardiness and health: A critique and alternative approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 518–530.
27.
IvancevichJ. M.MattesonM. T. (1980). Stress and work: A managerial perspective.Glenview, IL: Scott, Foreman and Co.
28.
JacobiJ. H. (1979). Reducing police stress: A psychiatrist's point of view. In KroesW. H.HurrellJ. J. (Eds.). Job stress and the police officer: Identifying stress reduction techniques.Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
29.
KaufmannG. M.BeehrT. A. (1989). Occupational stressors, individual strains, and social supports among police officers. Human Relations, 42 (2), 185–197.
30.
KobasaS. C. (1979). Stressful life events, personality and health: An inquiry into hardiness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 1–11.
31.
KobasaS. C. (1982). Commitment and coping in stress-resistance among lawyers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 707–717.
32.
KobasaS. C.MaddiS. R.CouringtonS. (1981). Personality and constitution as mediators in the stress-illness relationship. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 22, 368–378.
33.
KobasaS. C.MaddiS. R.KahnS. (1982). Hardiness and health: A prospective study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 168–177.
34.
KobasaS. C.MaddiS. R.PuccettiM. C.ZolaM. A. (1985). Effectiveness of hardiness, exercise and social support as resources against illness. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 29 (5), 525–533.
35.
KobasaS. C.PuccettiM. C. (1983). Personality and social resources in stress-resistance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 839–850.
36.
KornhauserA. (1965). Mental health and the industrial worker.New York: Wiley.
37.
KulikC. T.OldhamG. R.HackmanJ. R. (1987). Work design as an approach to person-environment fit. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 31, 278–296.
38.
McCranieE. W.LambertV. A.LambertC. E. (1987). Work stress, hardiness, and burnout among hospital staff nurses. Nursing Research, 36, (6), 374–378.
39.
McGrathJ. E. (1976). Stress and behavior in organizations. In DunnetteM.D.(Ed.). Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology.Chicago: Rand McNally College Publishing Co.1351–1395.
40.
MaddiS. R.KobasaS. C.HooverM. (1979). An alienation test. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 19, 73–76.
41.
MeissnerM. (1971). The long arm of the job: A study of work and leisure. Industrial Relations, 10, 239–260.
42.
MotowidloS. J.PackardJ. S.ManningM. R. (1986). Occupational stress: Its causes and consequences for job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71 (4), 618–629.
43.
MuchinskyP. M.MonahanC. J. (1987). What is person-environment congruence? Supplementary versus complementary models of fit. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 31, 268–277.
44.
PetersonC.SeligmanM. (1987). Explanatory style and illness. Journal of Personality, 55 (2), 237–266.
45.
RaheR. H.MahanJ. L.ArthurR. J. (1970). Prediction of near-future health changes from subjects' preceding life hanges. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 14, 401–406.
46.
ReiserM. (1970, September). A psychologist's view of the badge. The Police Chief, 24–26.
47.
ReiserM. (1974a). Mental health in police work and training. The Police Chief, 41, 51–52.
48.
ReiserM. (1974b). Some organizational stresses on policemen. Journal of Police Science and Administration, 2, 156–159.
49.
RhodewaltF.ZoneJ. B. (1989). Appraisal of life change, depression, and illness in hardy and nonhardy women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56 (1), 81–88.
50.
RotterJ. M.SeemanM.LiverantS. (1962). Internal vs. external locus of control of reinforcement: A major variable in behavior study. In WashburnN. F. (Ed.). Decisions, values, and groups.London: Pergamon.
51.
ScheierM.CarverC. (1987). Dispositional optimism and physical well-being: The influence of generalized outcome expectancies on health. Journal of Personality, 55 (2), 169–210.
52.
SchmiedL. A.LawlerK. A. (1986). Hardiness, Type A behavior, and the stress-illness relationship in working women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1218–1223.
53.
SelyeH. (1956). The stress of life.New York: McGraw-Hill.
54.
SpielbergerC. D.GrierK. S.SalernoC. S.PateJ. M. (1979). Police stress survey. Unpublished instrument, University of South Florida.
55.
SpielbergerC. D.WestberryL. G.GrierK. S.GreenfieldG. (1981). The police stress survey: Sources of stress in law enforcement. Monograph Series Three: No. 6, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of South Florida.
56.
SymondsM. (1970). Emotional hazards of police work. American Journal of Psychoanalysis, 30, 155–160.
57.
TangT. L. P. (1988). Effects of Type A personality and leisure ethic on Chinese college students' leisure activities and academic performance. Journal of Social Psychology, 128 (2), 153–164.
58.
TangT. L. P.BaumeisterR. F. (1984). Effects of personal values, perceived surveillance, and task labels on task preference: The ideology of turning play into work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 69, 99–105.
59.
TangT. L. P.ReynoldsD. B. (1990). The effects of self-esteem task perception on goal setting, efficacy, and task performance. Papewr presented at the Thirty-Sixth Annual Convention of the southwestern Psychological Assoication, Dallas, Texas.
60.
TangT. L. P.TollisonP. S.WhitesideH. D. (1987). The effect of quality circle initiation on motivation to attend quality circle meetings and on task performance. Personnel Psychology, 40, 799–814.
61.
TangT. L. P.TollisonP. S.WhitesideH. D. (1989). Quality circleproductivity as related to upper-management attendance, circle initiation, and collar color. Journal of Management, 15 (1), 101–113.
62.
TangT. L. P.TollisonP. S.WhitesideH. D. (1991). Managers' attendance and the effectiveness of small work groups: The case of quality circles. Journal of Social Psychology, 131 (3), 335–344.
63.
TangT. L. P.TollisonP. S.WhitesideH. D. (in press). Differences between active and inactive quality circles on attendance and performance. Public Personnel Management..
64.
WylerA. R.MasudaM.HolmesT. H. (1968). Seriousness of illness rating scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 11, 363–375.
