Police work is inherently demanding, often leading to conflicts between work and family life. This study uses the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) framework to examine how work-family conflict (WFC) relates to burnout and turnover intentions in the context of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS). We hypothesize that WFC, as a job demand, will increase officer burnout, which in turn will increase their intentions to leave the job. We further investigate whether affective commitment, a personal resource reflecting one’s attachment to the organization, buffers the impact of burnout on turnover intentions.
Survey data were collected from 310 police officers using a cross-sectional design.
The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between WFC and burnout. Furthermore, burnout mediated the relationship between WFC and turnover intentions. Affective commitment was found to moderate the relationship between burnout and turnover intentions such that the positive effect of burnout on turnover intentions was significantly weaker for officers with higher affective commitment. The study’s findings are discussed within the context of strategies and interventions to mitigate against WFC, burnout, and turnover intentions among police officers in Trinidad and Tobago, with implications for other developing countries with comparable occupational and systemic challenges.
By situating our study in Trinidad and Tobago, we contribute to a more global and contextualized understanding of WFC, burnout, affective commitment, and turnover intentions. Prior literature on these topics has been dominated by studies in WEIRD contexts (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic countries; Schimmelpfennig et al., 2025). The findings of this research carry important practical implications for police departments, particularly the TTPS, but also for law enforcement agencies in similar environments. Foremost, the results underscore the need for police administrations to proactively address WFC as a strategy to improve officer well-being and retention.
