Emotional Labor, Role Characteristics, and Police Officer Burnout in South Korea: The Mediating Effect of Emotional Dissonance

Abstract

This study examines the extent to which emotional labor and role stressors (such as role conflict and ambiguity) required of police officers contribute to police officer burnout. In particular, it is hypothesized that these aspects of police work cause officers to experience emotional dissonance, thereby leading to burnout. To test these hypotheses, we conduct mediation analyses using survey data from 466 police officers in Seoul, South Korea. Overall, emotional labor, role stressors, and emotional dissonance are related to greater police officer burnout. In addition, there were several significant indirect effects between emotional labor, role stressors, and burnout, via emotional dissonance.