Burnout and Coping among Law Enforcement Officers

Many underlying psychological issues experienced by law enforcement officers go unnoticed due to stigma. A vast underutilization of resources are devoted to situational and organizational stressors, including stress management; the result - persistent maladaptive coping processes. A quantitative, quasi-experimental study used 72 participants (36 males, 36 females) who completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WAYS), to examine if officer well-being diminishes over time, measured by increased burnout and maladaptive coping processes. A Pearson r tested the following: (H1): there is a significant positive relationship between time on the force and degree of burnout; (H2): there is a significant positive relationship between time on the force and use of maladaptive coping processes; (H3): there is a stronger positive relationship between time on the force and burnout among males than females; and (H4): there is a stronger positive relationship between time on the force and use of maladaptive coping processes among males than females. Results revealed significant findings for H1, which postulated that the more time officers (regardless of gender) had on the force, the more burnout they experienced. Implications are significant. Police organizations should reduce stigmas associated with burnout by implementing trainings that teach adaptive coping.;Keywords: burnout, coping processes, maladaptive coping, time on force, law enforcement.