Do police officers experience discrimination at work? Analysis of perceived workplace discrimination, personal factors and psychological wellbeing

Abstract

Scholars have established a link between workplace discrimination and psychological wellbeing among different cohorts apart from the police officers. However, the role of resilience in the link, as well as how this condition differs across gender, among police officers within the context of Nigeria has not received sufficient research attention. Purpose. Thus, this study investigated the conditional indirect effect of gender on the relationship between perceived workplace discrimination and psychological wellbeing through resilience of police officers in Nigeria. Methodology. A sample of 316 (mean age = 38.1; σ = 13.6; women = 47.2%) police officers that were selected through the stratified sampling technique, completed the Ryff Psychological Wellbeing Scale, Perceived Workplace Discrimination Scale and Resilience Scale. Data were subjected to both the structural equation modelling and hayes process macro analyses. Findings. Results from the hayes process macro statistical analyses revealed that resilience and perceived workplace discrimination independently predicted police officers' psychological wellbeing. Also, resilience was found to have an indirect effect on the workplace discrimination -- psychological wellbeing link. Furthermore, perceived workplace discrimination had more effect on the psychological wellbeing of resilient female police officers than their male counterparts. The study concluded that the indirect effect of resilience on psychological wellbeing of police officers through perceived workplace discrimination was higher for female officers.