ABSTRACT
Numerous studies have shown that factors related to organizational structure, inappropriate authoritarian management, poor interpersonal relationships with supervisors, lack of adequate participation in planning and of autonomy in performing duties, and lack of recognition for work accomplishments are usually reported as the major source of stress for police officers. On the other hand, there are other risk factors such as alteration of normal sleep patterns because of shift schedules, daily exposure to interpersonal violence, personal endangerment with fear of revenge from criminals, and interactions with an ambivalent public, which induce chronic emotional effects that jeopardize the physical and psychological balance of police officers with their families. A chronic burden of negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, or depression can lead to psychological burnout, whereas continuous activation of the stress response systems (i.e., the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and the autonomic nervous system [ANS]) can induce alterations of the neuroautonomic and endocrine balance, leading to higher incidence of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and even cancer.
