A Cross-Level Study of the Consequences of Work Stress in Police Officers: Using Transformational Leadership and Group Member Interactions as an Example

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of work stress on job burnout and quality of life and the effect of moderating group factors (transformational leadership and group member interactions) on the relationship between work stress, job burnout, and quality of life. This study takes front-line border police as the research object, adopts a cross-level perspective, and takes work stress as a key factor affecting work efficiency and health indicators. METHODS: It collected data through questionnaires, with questionnaires for each research variable adapted from existing research scales, such as multifactor leadership questionnaire developed by Bass and Avolio. A total of 361 questionnaires were filled out and collected in this study, including 315 male participants and 46 female participants. The average age of the participants was 39.52. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to test the hypotheses. RESULTS: First, it was found that work stress has a significant impact on job burnout and quality of life. Secondly, leadership style and group member interactions have a direct, cross-level effect on work stress. Third, it found that leadership style and group member interactions have an indirect, cross-level effect on the relationship between work stress and job burnout. However, these are not indicative of quality of life. The results of this study highlight the particular impact of the nature of police work on the quality of life, and further enhance the value of this study. CONCLUSION: The two major contributions of this study are: 1) it shows the original characteristics of the organizational environment and the social context of Taiwan’s border police and, 2) in terms of the research implication, it is necessary to re-examine the cross-level impact of group factors on individual work stress.