Breaking Point: Examining Secondary Traumatic Stress, Toxic Leadership, Coping Mechanisms, and Well-Being in Non-Uniformed Federal Law Enforcement Personnel

This quantitative correlational study examined the extent to which secondary traumatic stress and toxic leadership were experienced and these variables’ relationships with well-being among non-uniformed federal employees in law enforcement organizations. The research aimed to identify coping strategies beneficial to employee well-being. A sample of 73 federal employees from a U.S. government law enforcement organization was recruited using purposive sampling, excluding uniformed personnel. Measurement instruments included the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, Toxic Leadership Scale, Brief COPE, and World Health Organization 5-Item Well-being Index. Statistical analyses using SPSS version 29 revealed a significant, moderate negative correlation between secondary traumatic stress and well-being (r = -.677, p < .001), accounting for 45.8% of the variance. The mean secondary traumatic stress score of 36.86 (SD = 12.70) was not significantly different from the clinical cutoff score of 38. Toxic Leadership demonstrated a weak negative correlation with well-being (r = -.494, p < .001), explaining 24.4% of the variance. The mean toxic leadership score of 2.36 (SD = 1.27) was significantly lower than the known test value of 4, indicating that twenty-five percent of the sample had experienced exposure to toxic leadership in their workplaces. Coping strategy analysis identified significant negative correlations between maladaptive emotion-focused coping and well-being r(72) = -.434, p < .001, and avoidant coping and well-being r(72) = -.465, p < .001; and non-significant correlations between problem-focused coping and well-being rs(72) = .082, p = .245, and adaptive emotion-focused coping and well-being rs(72) = .118, p = .161. Religious coping showed a non-significant positive trend toward well-being. The findings highlighted complex adaptation in high-stress law enforcement environments, emphasizing the need for targeted organizational interventions and support systems. This study contributed new knowledge to understanding workplace stress, coping strategies, and well-being among federal employees in federal law enforcement organizations.