| Abstract [eng] |
Despite the large scientific interest in stress experienced by law enforcement officers (especially by police officers), it is little known about the stress experienced by judges. There has not been any research work conducted in Lithuania to evaluate how much stress do judges experience, what situations are the most stressful and what stress coping strategies they usually apply. Such studies are important for reducing the negative effects caused by stress on judges’ decision making, effectiveness of the justice system functioning and justice implementation. The aim of the study is to investigate judges’ job specific stress, its’ causes and used coping strategies. Methods. Ninety-eight Lithuania‘s judges from different type of courts participated in the investigation (65 female, 33 male). Stress was measured by our „Judges‘ experienced stress“ questionnaire of which one part was designed to evaluate the tension caused by different stressors, and the other part – the frequency of encountering with these stressors. Using explorative factor analysis the questionnaire statements’ were categorised into the five different scales, which Cronbach‘s alfa was varying from 0,875 to 0,961. Results. The largest stress experienced by judges was induced by interactions with politicians, media and citizens, while the other four groups caused moderate stress. The judges’ experience of stress is related with the sex, court type, age and work experience. They are most likely to apply the problem solving coping strategy, least likely – avoidance coping strategy. Furthermore, the more stress they have to deal with, the more likely they apply the social support coping strategy. Conclusion. The gathered data suggests that stress is a relevant topic for judges, and court leaders should give more attention to it. . |
