The protective role of self-esteem on burnout and depression symptoms among police officers: A path analysis approach
| Author | Georgios Pikoulas,Diana Charila,Tzavellas Elias |
| Published date | 01 September 2022 |
| Date | 01 September 2022 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/14613557221089569 |
| Subject Matter | Original Research Articles |
The protective role of self-esteem on
burnout and depression symptoms among
police officers: A path analysis approach
Georgios Pikoulas
(Department of Psychology,) National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
Diana Charila
(Department of Psychology,) National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
Tzavellas Elias
(1st Psychiatric Clinic of Aeginiteio Hospital,) National and Kapodistrian University of
Athens, Greece
Abstract
The aim of this cross-sectional study is to investigate the effect of self-esteem on burnout symptoms and depression, using a
path analysis approach. A total of 396 Greek police officers, 145 female and 251 male, with a mean age of 37.7 years, parti-
cipated in the study. The questionnaire included: (a) social–demographic characteristics, (b) Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale,
(c) Zung’s depression scale, and (d) Maslach’s burnout scale. Analysis of variance was applied to find whether the demo-
graphic variables of gender, age and urban/rural location had a significant effect on the examined psychometric scales. A
path model was then tested, aiming to quantify the direct and indirect effects of age, working location and self-esteem on
depression and burnout symptoms. Emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment scores were found to have a direct
effect on depression and completely explained the effect of urban area on depression. Self-esteem was found to be a signifi-
cant regressor on depression and the three burnout subscales, while older and more experienced officers had significantly
lower burnout symptoms. The findings of the study confirmtheprotectiveroleofself-esteem.Thefindings also confirmed
that police officers working in an urban environment are at a greater risk of developing burnout and depression symptoms,
while the depressed feelings of police officers in an urban area are completely explained by increased feelings of burnout. The
ability of police officers to counteract the psycho-emotional pressure of their profession as they age in service is demon-
strated. The need for initiatives aiming to support young officers and police personnel working in large cities is indicated.
Keywords
Police, self-esteem, depression, burnout
Submitted 30 Mar 2021, Revise received 8 Jan 2022, accepted 18 Feb 2022
Introduction
The police are a public service necessary for the proper
functioning of society. However, it is a particularly stressful
job that often exposes police officers to high-risk incidents
during their attempts to enforce the law and prevent crimes,
incidences that inevitably impose significant psychological
distress on officers.
Unavoidably, these negative emotional feelings, devel-
oped in response to chronically adverse workingconditions,
Corresponding author:
Georgios Pikoulas, Department of Psychology, National and Kapodistrian
University of Athens, Athens, 15784, Greece.
Email: pikopsy@hotmail.com
Original Research Article
International Journal of
Police Science & Management
2022, Vol. 24(3) 313–324
© The Author(s) 2022
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DOI: 10.1177/14613557221089569
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