The impact of job and family factors on work stress and engagement among Hong Kong police officers

Jessica C.M. Li, Jacky C.K. Cheung, Ivan Y. Sun

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

31 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of demands from three life domains: society, workplace and family and different resources at the individual, family and supervisor levels on occupational stress and work engagement among Hong Kong police officers. Design/methodology/approach: A survey based on a random sample of 514 male and female police officers was conducted, and multivariate regression was employed to assess the effects of demands and resources on work stress and work engagement. Findings: Family–work conflicts, organizational and operational factors affected work stress and work engagement among police officers. Constructive coping was found to be positively related to work stress and negatively associated with work engagement. Research limitations/implications: Survey data collected from a single Chinese city may not be generalized to officers in other parts of China or Chinese societies with different social and political contexts. Originality/value: The present study filled the knowledge gap about factors influencing police stress and engagement. This study provides insights into how to establish relevant contextual measures to reduce police work stress. This study represents one of the first attempts to use a random sample of police officers for the investigation of police stress in Hong Kong.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)284-300
Number of pages17
JournalPolicing
Volume42
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 8 Apr 2019

Keywords

  • Conservation of resource theory
  • Hong Kong police
  • Job stress
  • Work engagement
  • Work–family conflicts

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pathology and Forensic Medicine
  • Public Administration
  • Law

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The impact of job and family factors on work stress and engagement among Hong Kong police officers'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this