Discretionary Authority Coping and Stress in Human Service Organizations

In this paper we analyze coping during public service delivery and stress among workers in human service organizations whose discretion is protected by the authority of their jobs within the police, healthcare psychiatry, and social work. The data come from a survey sent to 990 frontline workers in Sweden. In line with recent neuroscience and psychology research, our findings suggest that the discretionary worker interacts through two families/forms with ways of coping: 1) approaching clients–through instrumental action, bending/breaking rules, using personal resources, or prioritizing motivated clients and 2) avoiding clients–through rationing, routinizing, or aggression. Statistically significant and systematic differences between policy sectors suggest that coping depends on institutionalized moral practices: prioritization and aggression are most common within the police; instrumental action is most common within healthcare; and bending/breaking rules and routinizing are most common within social work. Lower levels of stress are identified in relation to avoidant coping strategies.