Stress in Policing: A Comparative Study of American and Czech Female Police Officers

• In Event: POL Panel 8. Police officer experiences and mental health

Abstract

Policing is known to be an inherently dangerous profession and officers are regularly exposed to traumatic events and stressful situations, environments, and working conditions. And yet, the inherent dangers and unpredictable nature of the job are not always the leading cause of stress for police. Some research on police stress has revealed that officers can also experience significant stress from organizational dynamics—even more so than the dangers (e.g., use of force, being injured) or unique requirements of the job (e.g., unpredictable, shift work). This comparative project explores these topics across a sample of female police officers to better understand how gender contextualizes the forms of stress most salient to female officers working in the Czech Republic

Authors

• Tara Shelley, Tarleton State University

• Tomáš Mráka, Police Academy of the Czech Republic in Prague

• Rhonda Dobbs, Tarleton State University

• Eva Illnerová, ECCE Prague