Not just a walk in the woods? Exploring the impact of individual characteristics and changing job roles on stress among conservation officers

Bibliographic Data

ID21177751
AuthorsLogan S Ledford (East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, USA), Logan Ledford (0000-0001-8189-0006, East Tennessee State University), Dustin L Osborne (0000-0002-7920-5548, East Tennessee State University, corresponding author), Bradley D Edwards (0000-0003-3011-7528, East Tennessee State University), Ben Stickle (0000-0001-8561-2070, Middle Tennessee State University)
Year2021
Volume22
Issue1
Pages274-289
Publication date2021-01-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolice Practice and Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1561-4263 • E-ISSN: 1477-271X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/15614263.2020.1821682
OpenAlexW3129034114
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited49

Research relating to police stress has typically focused on officers working in urban areas, neglecting their rural counterparts. This is especially true of conservation officers, who are tasked with enforcing laws in state parks and other recreational areas. To date, only a handful of studies have sought to better understand their experiences and perceptions. This is problematic due to the fact that these officers face unique duty-related stressors and are increasingly tasked with performing more general law enforcement duties (e.g., drug enforcement, serving warrants). The current study seeks to further our understanding of the topic using survey data gathered from 346 conservation officers spread across six states. Specifically, it assesses whether officer characteristics (e.g., age, education, length of service) and frequency of performing traditional law enforcement duties influence perceived stress. Results of the multivariate analyses indicate that higher levels of education, longer tenures in the field, and a higher frequency of performing traditional duties all serve to increase officer stress. The implications of these finding for conservation agencies and their officers are discussed

Business · Duty · Enforcement · Law enforcement · Officer · Perception · Political science · Public relations · Recreation · Stressor · Fire effects on ecosystems · Forest Management and Policy · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation · Marketing

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