Abstract
This study examined the association between job characteristics, namely job demands and job resources, and mental health outcomes in terms of emotional exhaustion and well-being among police officers. Eight hundred forty-three German police officers participated in a cross-sectional online survey. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the validity of the dual process model of the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) framework in the context of police work. Job demands (verbal assaults by citizens, workload, and administrative stressors) predicted emotional exhaustion whereas job resources (team support, shared values, and perceived fairness) predicted well-being. Moreover, job resources were directly and negatively associated with emotional exhaustion. The findings confirm the capacity of job resources to simultaneously promote well-being and reduce emotional exhaustion. Work place interventions should thus not merely decrease job demands. To improve and protect police officers’ well-being, it is advisable to promote job resources. A supportive and fair organizational climate based on shared values is required to foster mental health in the context of police work.
Highlights
Recent years’ research on occupational health has consistently shown that job characteristics affect employees’ well-being (e.g., Bakker and Demerouti 2014)
Team support, shared values, and perceived fairness served as indicators for job resources, based on manifest variables, too (Table 2), showing a very good fit of the measurement model as well, χ2(41) = 73.400, p < 0.01; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.03; SRMR = 0.03; Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.98; Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.99
This study has emphasized the distinct role of job resources concerning their impact in reducing emotional exhaustion and promoting well-being at the same time
Summary
Recent years’ research on occupational health has consistently shown that job characteristics affect employees’ well-being (e.g., Bakker and Demerouti 2014). While job demands like work overload, time pressure, and emotional demands are associated with reduced well-being, job resources such as social support, procedural fairness, and trust in management have a positive effect on well-being (Schaufeli and Taris 2014). From a resource-oriented perspective, it is of topmost importance to identify job resources—while reducing job demands at the same time—in order to promote occupational health and well-being. A theoretical framework combining both job demands and job resources as well as their relationship with work-related well-being is the Job Demands-Resources model Direct effects of job characteristics on health outcomes have not yet been thoroughly studied (Brauchli et al 2015)
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