Police and Burnout: A Quantitative and Theoretical Analysis of Burnout in American Policing

The bulk of the empirical research examining burnout among police officers has focused on individual outcomes related to officer health and performance. This dissertation study suggests a more comprehensive approach leading in two directions: a quantitative analysis of three individual theories of burnout—conservation of resources (COR), job demands-resources (JD-R), and areas of worklife (AWS)—and the creation and development of an integrated theory of burnout (ITB) to understand how resources, demands, and the working environment influences officer burnout in the United States. Part I analyzes which factors are consistent with the COR, JD-R, and AWS theoretical models and are strongly related to burnout among police officers. Part II develops and assess empirically an integrated theory of burnout (ITB). This study analyzes previously collected survey data from thousands of officers representing law enforcement agencies throughout the country, in addition to surveys of their “executives” and broader departmental characteristics. The results of this study are used to explain the prevalence and incidence of burnout among police officers and to create new programs and initiatives that intend to alleviate officer’s burnout through various strategies.