Occupational Stress and Work Engagement among Officers of the Nigerian Police Force

The study examined the effects of occupational stress on work engagement of the Nigerian Police Officers in Delta State. This study used a descriptive survey design, with a population of 251 police officers. The study used the simple random sampling technique. The research instrument used in this study was a structured questionnaire. Data collected from the field survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation and multiple regression. Findings showed that workload (β = 0.196, p <0.05), role conflict and ambiguity (β = 0.524, p < 0.05), job demand (β = 0.313, p <0.05) have positive effect on work engagement of the Nigerian Police Officers. Findings showed that the dimensions of occupational stress explained 58% of the variability in work engagement. The study concluded that occupational stress had positive effect on work engagement of Nigerian Police Officers in Delta State. It was recommended that there is need to periodically assess the workload of police officers to identify patterns of overload or underutilization. Adjust workload distribution as needed to maintain a balanced and manageable workload.