Are causes of police stress global?

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to assess the effects of commonly examined police stressors' on the members of a developing country's centralized police department: Turkish National Police (TNP).Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on a data collected through a self‐administered survey among the members of the TNP during the summer of 2005 (n=812). Using multivariate level OLS regression models, predicting effects of commonly examined police stressors on the participants' stress levels are analyzed. Findings are evaluated in comparison to existing literature about police stress.FindingsThis study indicates that organizational issues are the most important causes of stress in policing. Besides, it was found that several police stressors, as found for local police departments, might not be having the same effects for larger, centralized police departments.Practical implicationsModern policing can be a less stressful job if the police organizations take necessary steps towards applying modern management techniques at both macro and micro levels. Demographic differences, danger at work, or workload should not be counted as predictors of stress in policing without a through consideration of organizational matters.Originality/valueThis is the first study empirically and systematically assessing the issue of stress among the members of the TNP. In addition, it is one of the rare studies published in English regarding the issue of police stress in a developing country.