A policeman's lot is not always a happy one ...

Researchers at Columbia University in the U.S. have been looking into work stress among policemen. A large sample of officers filled in a 132-question survey which looked at what the policemen found stressful, how they perceived work stress, how they coped with stress and what the consequences of stress were. Lack of organizational fairness and job dissatisfaction were most strongly correlated with perceived work stress. Policemen who said they were depressed were nearly 10 times as likely to report stress, while those who were anxious were six times more likely. People who reported aggression or interpersonal conflicts were twice as likely to say they were stressed at work. The officers who used avoidance as a coping strategy (ignoring or avoiding the problem instead of dealing with it) were more than 14 times as likely to report anxiety and more than nine times as likely to report burnout.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090312165204.htm