Correctional Officers and Workplace Adversity

Trounson, Justin S.; Pfeifer, Jeffrey E.

doi:10.1177/1078345817720923

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The work of prison officers is draining and emotionally taxing (Trounson & Pfeifer, 2017). Prisons are a ''domestic'' setting.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I Wish I Could Hold Your Hand”: Inconsistent Interactions Between Pregnant Women and Prison Officers

Suarez

2021

Journal of Correctional Health Care

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Much of the literature on pregnant women who are incarcerated focuses on perinatal outcomes for infants, access to and quality of medical care, mental health concerns, prison nurseries, and shackling. This research adds a unique contribution by exploring women's interactions with prison officers during pregnancy, labor, and birth. Based on in-depth interviews with 18 pregnant or postpartum women incarcerated at a maximum-security state prison, the findings suggest inconsistent interactions between women and prison officers. Officers served as gatekeepers and/or advocates. Women reported dehumanizing behaviors, yet they also experienced compassion, especially in the delivery room, though limited by prison regulations. The findings have implications for training in trauma-informed care, clear expectations for prison officers, and consideration of doula programs.

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“…The work of prison officers is draining and emotionally taxing (Trounson & Pfeifer, 2017). Prisons are a ''domestic'' setting.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I Wish I Could Hold Your Hand”: Inconsistent Interactions Between Pregnant Women and Prison Officers

Suarez

2021

Journal of Correctional Health Care

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“…Empirical findings linking occupational stress and burnout to alcohol consumption have been documented across several international jurisdictions. In an Australian study of 53 correctional officers, Trounson and Pfeifer (2017) found that officers commonly managed workplace stressors through reliance on substances, particularly alcohol consumption. In a Colombian study characterizing the burnout profiles of 219 correctional officers, Useche et al (2019) also found a relationship between higher burnout levels and higher frequencies of alcohol consumption.…”

Section: Problematic Alcohol Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Provincial correctional workers: Examining the relationships between alcohol use, mental health disorders, and suicide behaviour.

Ricciardelli,

Taillieu,

Coulling

et al. 2024

Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne

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Alcohol use among correctional workers remains an understudied phenomenon, although recognized in literature as a coping strategy employed by persons in public safety occupations. Moreover, previous literature denotes a prevalence of mental health disorders higher than that of the general population among correctional workers and public safety personnel. In the present study, we examine the prevalence of alcohol use disorders among correctional workers employed in the provincial correctional service in Ontario, Canada (n = 915), to understand the severity of the concern and to explain how alcohol use is associated with diverse mental health concerns. Specifically, we unpack the correlation between problematic alcohol use, mental health disorders, and suicide behaviours among this correctional worker population, finding that the prevalence of mental health disorders and suicide thoughts and behaviours was higher for persons reporting problematic alcohol use. Discussion includes recommendations on research needs tied to unpacking the relationship, including causal relationship between alcohol use and mental health, as a way to combat the devastating realities tied to compromised mental health endured by employees in correctional services. Public Significance StatementWe found relatively low prevalence of alcohol use disorder among provincial correctional workers, which suggests that perhaps awareness of the impacts of addiction given their work with criminalized people may be affecting alcohol use. However, mental health disorders and suicide behaviours were strongly associated with alcohol use disorders, indicating that improving the mental health and wellbeing of correctional workers remains an important public health priority. More needs to be done to disambiguate the comorbidity between alcohol use disorder and other mental health disorders among correctional workers.

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“…Little is known about the health of Australian correctional officers in comparison with international officers. The available Australian research has been predominantly pathogenic, suggesting Australian officers frequently experience potentially traumatic critical incidents and mental illnesses (e.g., Eriksson, 2021;Trounson et al, 2016Trounson et al, , 2022. Very little Australian research has explored correctional officer health as more than disorder absence.…”

Section: The Australian Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Burnout, Well-Being, and Posttraumatic Growth in Correctional Officers

Miller,

Shakespeare-Finch,

Bruenig

2024

Criminal Justice and Behavior

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Correctional officers work in a stressful environment and are exposed to elevated levels of critical incidents. Such exposure can lead to negative psychological outcomes like burnout. However, positive psychological experiences including well-being and posttraumatic growth are also possible under such adverse conditions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore predictors of burnout, well-being, and posttraumatic growth in a sample of correctional officers ( N = 142). The results of multiple regression analyses indicated that age, workplace adversity, and resilience were significant predictors of correctional officer burnout. A sense of workplace belongingness and the use of adaptive coping strategies were significant positive predictors of well-being and posttraumatic growth. Trait resilience and the receipt of social support were additional significant positive predictors of well-being. These results highlight the importance of individual, interpersonal, and organizational factors in promoting positive health outcomes, preventing negative health outcomes, and providing avenues for staff support.

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Correctional Officers and Workplace Adversity

Cited by 15 publications

References 36 publications

“I Wish I Could Hold Your Hand”: Inconsistent Interactions Between Pregnant Women and Prison Officers

“I Wish I Could Hold Your Hand”: Inconsistent Interactions Between Pregnant Women and Prison Officers

Provincial correctional workers: Examining the relationships between alcohol use, mental health disorders, and suicide behaviour.

Predicting Burnout, Well-Being, and Posttraumatic Growth in Correctional Officers

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