This is an exploratory survey study of the determination of work-related stress of state criminal trial court judges. A multi-disciplinary review of research and theory concerning work-related stress, especially for professionals, and concerning the trial judicial role was the basis for the statement of hypotheses concerning forty-six variables predicted to operate as stressor, stress moderator, or determinant of vulnerability to being stressed. / A questionnaire, utilizing generally one-item measurement of variables, was developed through a four-stage draft-pretest process. Two single-item subjective ratings of work-related stress and a modified fourteen-item scale indicating physiological symptoms of stress were the dependent variable measures. / Questionnaires, with letters of endorsement by the major United States judge-training institution and a senior trial judge, were mailed to a random sample of 500 state criminal trial court judges above the traffic court level. An adjusted response rate of 40% was achieved. / After tests using oneway analysis of variance and stepwise multiple regression for hypothesized nonlinearity of relationship, hierarchical-entry, theory-determined group stepwise multiple regression was conducted with the three different measures of stress as dependent variables. The same procedure was conducted using a combination of all usable sample responses and 96 usable responses by students attending courses at the National Judicial College. / Conclusions regarding outcome of hypothesis tests were based primarily on semi-partial correlation coefficients obtained from the hierarchical entry multiple regression and secondarily on zero-order correlations, oneway analysis of variance results, and listings by respondents of stressful factors concerning the role and function relating to criminal cases and reasons for preferring other work. / Conclusions are stated concerning the apparent extent to which state criminal trial court judges experience work-related stress and concerning the relative importance of specific variables and types of variables. Possible implications of findings for judges' health, court organization, judicial decisionmaking, and future research are discussed. The broad, exploratory design and resulting limitations regarding generalization is emphasized. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-10, Section: A, page: 4595. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74651 |
| Contributors | MEMORY, JOHN MADISON., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 270 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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