Degree Name

MA (Master of Arts)

Program

Criminal Justice

Date of Award

12-2019

Committee Chair or Co-Chairs

Dustin Osborne

Committee Members

Bradley Edwards, Chris Rush

Abstract

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. The current study seeks to further our understanding of conservation officer stress in three unique ways: (1) via applying McCreary and Thompson’s (2006) operational police stress scale (PSQ-Op) to the population, (2) determining whether officer characteristics (e.g., age, education, length of service) affect perceived stress, and (3) exploring the influence of various job duties on these perceptions. Survey data are gathered from officers located in several states, with results serving to improve our understanding of conservation officer stress.

Document Type

Thesis - unrestricted

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

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