Abstract
CONTEXT: The Garda are an important part of society, who communicate with the public on a regular basis and provide a feeling of safety and security to many. The occupation of a Garda is a unique occupation which often places the officers in dangerous and compromising situations. Stressful situations are encountered on a regular basis, and over a long period of the untreated stress may have a damaging impact on the officer‟s health. It is the aim of this research project to explore firstly, the difference in stress experiences between male and female Garda. The second aim of the research is to examine the difference in stress levels experienced by Garda working in rural and urban areas. METHOD: A quantitative research design was used for this research. There were 197 participants in total. Of these there were 109 males and 88 females, and 102 were rural Garda and 93 urban Garda. RESULTS: In looking at gender difference in stress the female mean score was 29.39, and the male mean score was 28.19. In looking at area and stress, results showed that the mean score for stress in urban areas was 29.90, whereas for rural areas the mean score was 28.53. Stress was slightly higher for Garda working in rural areas, but there wasn‟t a significant difference. CONCLUSION: In looking at the mean stress scores for males and females working as Garda it is evident that females are slightly more stressed than males but there is no significant difference. In looking at the mean scores of stress for Garda working in urban areas and Garda working in rural areas it is evident that stress was slightly higher for Garda working in urban areas, but there was no significant difference.
