A Scoping Review of Stress Measurements and Psychometry in Police Research

Abstract

Despite a growing body of research, there is no systematic body of evidence that establishes the rigour of existing measures of stress among police. The aim of this scoping review was to investigate (1) the diversity of stress measures used in police research and (2) the psychometric properties of such measures and the ways in which they are utilised. The systematic literature search discovered 16,216 records, which were reduced to 442 records of relevance. A total of 20 qualitative and 422 quantitative studies were found to be relevant, including a total of 129 unique measures, of which the majority showed satisfactory reliability (Cronbach’s alpha ≥ 0.80). The identified measures pertain to four main categories: police-specific, perceived stress, psychological and physiological outcomes (including mood and affect changes), and assessment batteries. The measures have a general tendency to emphasise illness, and police-specific stressors pertain mostly to traditional police work. Measures should be chosen based on the aspect of the stress phenomenon that is to be investigated. This study provides detailed recommendations concerning how to use these measures to advance research concerning stress among police.