Daily Organisational Hassles and Uplifts as Determinants of Psychological and Physical Health in a Sample of New Zealand Police

Abstract

This study investigated the role of minor daily events (organisational hassles and uplifts) as determinants of psychological distress and self-rated health in a sample of 326 New Zealand police officers. Hassles were associated with negative outcomes, and uplifts with positive health outcomes. Tests of relationships between hassles, uplifts and health showed that hassles were not positively correlated with uplifts and that the hassles and health relationship was not moderated by uplifts, however, the prediction that more hassles than uplifts would negatively affect health was supported. These results suggest that both decreasing hassles and increasing uplifts are promising approaches to organisational improvement of health. Some suggestions for the improvement of the police specific measure of hassles and uplifts are made for future exploration of the relationships between positive and negative experiences at work in regard to stress.