Job related stress and the ability to transition among life roles for police officers

The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between the level of job-related stress experienced by police officers---specifically Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and PTSD-like symptoms---and their ability to function well in the various roles they play in their lives. A quantitative research design with a random sample of 69 active police officers was employed. Data were collected on job-related stressors, PTSD, and identity measures, covering subjective happiness, satisfaction in life, self-perception, personal growth, and meaning in life. Descriptive statistics and secondary analysis were used for data analysis.;Findings indicated that the police officers experienced job-related stress. A very small number of police officers (8) screened positive for PTSD. Furthermore, only a few officers revealed significant adjustment issues. However, many of the officers had several PTSD-like symptoms. For identity measures, a majority of the officers were very happy and had a high satisfaction in life, with a high perception of self and personal growth. About 50% of the officers were ambivalent about meaning to their life, while the other 50% attributed higher meaning to their life. For the eight officers who screened positive for PTSD, job stress ranged from moderate to high stress, posing significant adjustment issues. However, in their identity measures, they ranked high on subjective happiness, satisfaction with self, personal growth, and overall satisfaction in their life. They did attribute poor meaning to their life.