Female police officers : the relationship between social support, interactional style, and occupational stress and strain
Year: 1996
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The present study explored the relationship of individual and environmental variables in explaining stress among women police officers.There were three basic goals of the study: 1) The identification of the occupational stressors experienced by female police officers; 2) The examination of the relationships between these stressors, types and sources of social support, and various types of strain; and 3) The clarification of the impact of interactional style on the receipt of social support and, consequently, upon the experience of stress and strain.To this end, one hundred and forty-two female police officers from four metropolitan police departments in central and western Canada completed a battery of psychosocial questionnaires assessing interactional style, perceived stress, social support, and physical, psychological, and job-related strain.The findings suggest that women police officers suffer from the same stressors as their male counterparts, but they also are subjected to additional stressors associated with their minority status in a male dominated profession.The female officers identified negative attitudes from fellow officers as one of the most problematic sources of stress.It appears that female police officers have not achieved full acceptance despite their increasing numbers.As expected, the benefits of social support were evident in this study.Higher levels of social support were associated with lower levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and greater feelings of personal accomplishment and job satisfaction.Neither the adoption of a masculine nor a feminine interactional style in the workplace resulted in a significant increase in social support or a decrease in occupational stress and strain.However, female officers did report that the interactional style they used at work differed from the style they adopted outside of work.This supports the conceptualization of interactional style as a managed iii phenomenon, representing an attempt by female officers to cope within the male occupational subculture.The results are discussed in terms of a person-environment fit model and the theory of tokenism.Implications for the prevention and treatment of occupational stress among female police officers are highlighted.This dissertation is not only the result of my own efforts but also reflects the contributions of so many others.First, I would like to acknowledge the members of my dissertation committee who have helped me in so many ways.My warmest thanks go to Dr. James Ogloff, Senior Supervisor, for his critical guidance through every phase of this study.His support and encouragement throughout were much appreciated.I would also like to thank Dr. David Cox for his enthusiasm and support of this research, and Dr. Ray Koopman, for his invaluable aid in matters of a statistical nature
Source: Summit (Simon Fraser University)
Author: Elizabeth D Bannerman
Language: English
Topic: Stress and Burnout Research
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2300906453