The effects of job demands on mental and physical health in the group of police officers. testing the mediating role of job burnout

Abstract

The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model postulates that job demands and job resources constitute two processes: the health impairment process, leading to negative outcomes, and the motivational process, leading to positive outcomes. The aim of the study was to verify the health impairment process. Specifically, the study investigated the direct and the indirect (mediated via job burnout) effects of job demands on mental and physical health. Three kinds of job demands were considered, i.e. interpersonal conflicts at work, organizational constraints and workload. Data was collected among 625 police officers. The regression analysis - using the PROCESS macros of Hayes - was applied. Two of the three job demands were associated with mental and physical health directly or indirectly. The results partially support the Job Demands- Resources model.