JOB STRESS AND PERFORMANCE: A STUDY OF POLICE OFFICERS IN CENTRAL TAIWAN

The relationship between job stress and job performance of police officers in Taiwan was explored. A survey was designed and distributed to 1,067 police officers in central Taiwan. The 787 valid responses to this questionnaire were quantitatively analyzed. Major findings were: (1) Officers perceived that their job stress came mainly from "tasks", and perceived "contextual performance" as higher than other domains of job performance. (2) The group feeling most stress were officers aged between 31-40 with 11-20 years' service, employed as general police officers not holding a supervising position, and who had graduated from the police college. (3) There was a significant negative relationship between job stress and job performance. Higher job stress led to lower job performance and vice versa.