Occupational Stress Across Law Enforcement, Nursing, and Medicine: An Integrative Review of Job Demands, Organizational Resources, and Workforce Outcomes

Noel Otu; Ntiense E. Otu; Walter N. Otu

doi:10.69565/jems.v4i2.388

Authors

Noel Otu University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA
Ntiense E. Otu South Texas College, McAllen, Texas, USA
Walter N. Otu American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, Illinois

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69565/jems.v4i2.388

Keywords:

Occupational stress, job demands-resources, organizational support, burnout, employee well-being, workforce retention, public-service management

Abstract

Occupational stress is a management concern because it affects employee well-being, workforce retention, service quality, safety, and organizational performance. This rapid integrative review compares stressors, resources, and work-related outcomes in law enforcement, nursing, and medicine through the Job Demands-Resources framework. A structured search of PubMed/MEDLINE, supplemented by reference-list screening and verification through publisher records, was updated on July 11, 2026. The comparative evidence set comprised 18 highly relevant peer-reviewed publications, including systematic reviews, meta-analyses, integrative reviews, and large observational studies, with six publications representing each profession. The synthesis indicates that long or irregular hours, inadequate recovery, high workload, exposure to suffering or emergencies, and insufficient organizational support are shared demands. Profession-specific demands include operational danger and organizational pressure in policing, understaffing and emotional labour in nursing, and decision accountability, administrative burden, and electronic documentation in medicine. Across the professions, supportive leadership, staffing adequacy, autonomy, trusted peer support, procedural fairness, and manageable work systems function as important resources. Sustained demand-resource imbalance is associated with burnout, psychological distress, turnover, reduced capacity, service-quality problems, and safety risks. The review concludes that individual coping initiatives should complement, rather than replace, organizational interventions addressing workload, staffing, scheduling, leadership, administrative burden, recovery, and workplace culture.

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