Date

5-22-2024

Department

Helms School of Government

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice (PhD)

Chair

Douglas Orr

Keywords

game warden, stress, conservation officers

Disciplines

Legal Studies

Abstract

There has been a notable gap in research concerning stress among game wardens within the law enforcement field. Game wardens encounter operational and organizational stressors similar to those faced by traditional law enforcement officers. Previous research on stress in game wardens has predominantly focused on operational stress, the transition of their duties towards more traditional law enforcement roles, and various stress-inducing factors. This quantitative study utilized the Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) survey to analyze both operational and organizational stress in Maine Game Wardens. The research aimed to address two primary research questions: firstly, examining organizational and occupational stress utilizing the PSQ, and secondly, investigating whether a game warden's years of experience correlates significantly with organizational or occupational stress in Maine Game Wardens. The study involved current Maine Game Wardens who participated through in- person, paper surveys. A 100% response rate was achieved from the surveyed Game Wardens, with approximately sixty out of a hundred Maine Game Wardens completing the survey. Through statistical analyses using the One-Sample t-tests and One-Way ANOVA, it was established that organizational stress exerts a slightly impact than operational stress, with years of service in the field notably influencing stress levels—specifically, the period of 11-20 years of service showing the most significant impact. While this research contributes to the existing body of knowledge on stress among game wardens, further research is warranted to gain a deeper understanding of stress influences within this population.

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