They can’t safeguard you when they are under stress
| DOI | 10.1177/1461355718763467 |
| Date | 01 June 2018 |
| Published date | 01 June 2018 |
| Author | Wang Qiang,Muhammad Imran Rasheed,Sehran Khan Nisar |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
They can’t safeguard you when they are
under stress: An exploratory study on
issues and problems of job stress in police
Sehran Khan Nisar
(School of Public Affairs) University of Science and Technology of China, People’s Republic of China
Muhammad Imran Rasheed
(School of Management) University of Science and Technology of China, People’s Republic of China
Wang Qiang
(School of Public Affairs) University of Science and Technology of China, People’s Republic of China
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to explore work-related stress in the police of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K), Pakistan.
The research aims to identify factors that contribute most towards job stress in AJ&K police and study the nature of and
reasons underlying these factors. Political and media pressure has not been widely studied within the context of job stress
in the police, and researchers have attempted to bridge this gap and make a theoretical contribution by highlighting the
importance of political and media pressure as a job stressor for the police profession. This is exploratory research in
which a survey was conducted in three large cities of AJ&K, Pakistan. Primary data was collected through a questionnaire
comprising closed and open-ended interview questions. Descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis were
conducted using SPSS. Content analysis of the interview statements was also undertaken to enhance the validity of the
study. The research findings showed that although lack of resources is the biggest issue, other factors like political and
media pressure, and long working hours are also significantly and positively associated with job stress in the police in
AJ&K. The article draws attention towards political and media pressure as a job stressor for police. The research has an
important role in compelling top management in AJ&K police to ponder the issue of job stress within their department.
The findings are also important for police in other countries who are facing similar issues.
Keywords
Police, political pressure, media pressure, lack of resources, long working hours, job stress, exploratory research
Submitted 29 Mar 2017, Revise received 05 Jan 2018, accepted 08 Jan 2018
Introduction
Job stress is an emotional state resulting from the external
environment placing too many demands on an individual.
Selye (1956), the first person to introduce the concept of
stress, focused on stress from the point of view of biology,
where he found eustress (positive stress) and distress
(negative stress). Nowadays, stress in the workplace is a
well-known and eye-catching topic within the area of orga-
nizational research (Deschamps et al., 2003). Various fac-
tors cause stress for employees in the workplace; these
include (but are not limited to) lack of resources, working
environment, job design, salary and unachievable goals
among others. Some factors related to job stress in public
sector organizations like the police are political influence,
Corresponding author:
Sehran Khan Nisar, School of Public Affairs, University of Science and
Technology of China, Hefei, People’s Republic of China.
Email: sahran.nisar@hotmail.com
International Journalof
Police Science & Management
2018, Vol. 20(2) 124–133
ªThe Author(s) 2018
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DOI: 10.1177/1461355718763467
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