Citation

Smith BL, Ward RM. J. Crim. Justice 1986; 14(4): 307-317.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1986, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/0047-2352(86)90124-8

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In the 1970s stress management programs were initiated by many police departments across the United States. Concern regarding police overreaction in stressful situations was a major impetus in the development of most of these programs. The United States Army's Military Police Corps followed the lead of major civilian police departments by endeavoring to improve community support through reducing 'overreactive' incidents that inflamed public sentiment and lessened the morale and esteem of the Military Police Corps. In 1980, efforts were initiated to reduce 'harrassment' of soldiers and provide greater service to military personnel and dependents (Author's Field Notes, 1980). In conjunction with this effort, classes on the awareness and effects of stress became standard offerings for students at the U.S. Army's Military Police School. Research on military police personnel was lacking, however, and it was not known if the findings regarding stress on civilian police officers were applicable to military police.


This research represents an exploratory effort to identify and examine the determinants of three prominently identified correlates of high stress: family problems, alcohol abuse, and self-reported medical maladies. A path analytic model is postulated to provide an examination of the direct and indirect effects of several demographic variables upon an index of maladaptation that incorporates these three dependent variables into a single measure.