In or out of the group? Police subculture and occupational stress

Abstract

Purpose

Policing is associated with a pronounced occupational subculture. Policing is also known for physical and mental stressors that are, arguably, more than other professions. The purpose of this paper is to hypothesize that those police officers who perceive themselves as not a part of the subculture (i.e. “out-group”) would experience more occupational stress in comparison to those who perceive themselves as a part of it (i.e. “in-group”).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use data from the Work and Family Services for Law Enforcement Personnel in the US survey (Delprino, 1997) and OLS regression to assess the direct association between officers’ perceptions of policing subculture membership and occupational stress.

Findings

Results support the hypothesis, with in-group officers reporting significantly less occupational stress than out-group officers. This finding holds, with slight variations, when demographic and experiential variables are introduced as controls.

Research limitations/implications

Findings are from an earlier survey and based on responses from 1,632 officers in 51 agencies. They are geographically limited.

Practical implications

The importance of the protective function of subculture needs to be taken into account when attempting to deal with police stress.

Social implications

This study provides ideas on how departments can utilize occupational subcultures to deal with the stress experienced by members.

Originality/value

The relationship between police subculture and stress has not been examined empirically before. This study documents the positive impact of police subculture in terms of helping members deal with stress.

Citation

Rose, T. and Unnithan, P. (2015), "In or out of the group? Police subculture and occupational stress", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 38 No. 2, pp. 279-294. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-10-2014-0111