Organizational cynicism and occupational stress in police officers.

Abstract

Law enforcement is a popular occupation for scrutiny both in the general population and psychology. Two particular topics in the psychological study of police officers are cynicism and stress. The study of police cynicism reached its zenith in the 1980s, but it has slowed in the present day. Many questions remain unresolved, such as the potential antecedents of cynicism like rank, age length of service, education, negative affectivity, supportive leadership behaviors, and perceived community attitudes towards the police. Job satisfaction is proposed as a potential consequence of cynicism. Regarding police stress, the existing literature documented the activities that police officers used to relieve stress. However, the current study moved beyond documentation and provides evidence for the effectiveness of several potential buffers of the stressor-strain relationship, including exercise, alcohol consumption, caffeine consumption, sense of humor, and cynicism. Two hundred five officers representing 16 departments of a Midwestern state completed an anonymous survey and mailed it back to the researcher. Data were analyzed with correlations and multiple regressions. Age, rank, supportive leadership behaviors, community attitudes, and job satisfaction were negatively related to cynicism. In addition, negative affectivity was positively related to cynicism. Caffeine consumption was a reverse buffer of the relationship between stressors and strains, indicating that increased caffeine consumption strengthened the relationship between stressors and strains. The results have important implications for the causes of cynicism and effective ways of reducing stress in police officers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved).