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

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.

Citation

Li, J.C.M., Cheung, J.C.K. and Sun, I.Y. (2019), "The impact of job and family factors on work stress and engagement among Hong Kong police officers", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 42 No. 2, pp. 284-300. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-01-2018-0015