Police Leadership Under Pressure: Job Demand Stress, Resources, and Psychological Health

Few studies focus on stress, support and psychological health of police leaders. Data was collected from mid-level police leaders ( n = 538) and frontline police ( n = 1,003) employed in a large Australian state police agency. While mid-level leaders experience similar levels of psychological distress as the frontline, the frontline is more burned out. Organizational and operational stress significantly predicted burnout and psychological distress. Supervisor and peer support were both associated with less burnout and supervisor support was associated with less distress. Greater perceptions of psychological safety climate (PSC) were a protective factor for psychological distress. Job resources and PSC can be useful in attenuating psychological distress of police leaders. If we expect mid-level police leaders to build healthy workplaces, we must take the necessary actions to mitigate organizational and operational factors that contribute to stress among police leadership cohorts. More attention must be given to safeguarding the wellbeing of those leading the frontline.