Objective: To explore posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom prevalence and health characteristics among jail correctional officers, a generally understudied population of public safety workers.Method: A Conservation of Resources (COR) inspired framework explored relationships to PTSD symptoms among jail officers (N=320) employed in Midwest U.S. jails.Results: More than half (53.4%) of jail officers screened positively for PTSD. Hierarchical regression analysis indicate burnout was a significant predictor of symptoms of PTSD (B = .25, p < .001). Self-efficacy (B = −.42, p < .01), emotional labor (B = .20, p < .01), and an anxiety-or depression-related diagnosis (B = .92, p < .001) remained significant predictors of PTSD-related symptoms in the final step.
Conclusion:Our findings highlight the potentially high prevalence and impact of PTSD among jail officers, and offer implications for public safety workplace health interventions.Officers employed in jails, short-term correctional facilities with high resident turnover, work in conditions with high exposure to critical incidents and workplace stressors. Jail officers are at high risk for fatal and non-fatal inmate-to-staff and inmate-to-inmate violent incidents including criminality, gang activity, contraband, manipulation, and rape that contribute to sustained periods of alertness or hyper-vigilance. 1 Common organizational stressors include inadequate training, low staffing, overtime, poor leadership, and excessive punitive discipline. 1 While posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been highlighted among prison officers, 2 little research has been undertaken among this more narrow population of jail correctional officers as a consequence of their particular work setting.
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