Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Job Burnout Among Jail Officers

Abstract

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.

Working on local time: Testing the job-demand-control-support model of stress with jail officers

“…This suggests the Job Demand-Control-Support model is well-suited for assessing stress among correctional officers and can be used as a guide for administrators interested in promoting a healthy corps of officers. After all, evidence suggests that work stress among correctional officers manifests as negative attitudes and emotionally-driven responses such as frustration and anger ( Cullen et al, 1985 ; Steiner & Wooldredge, 2015 ), as well as unhealthy coping strategies (e.g., drug and/or alcohol abuse) and a host of negative interpersonal outcomes that could otherwise be addressed ( Finn, 2000 ; Jaegers et al, 2019 ; Lambert and Paoline, 2005 , Lambert and Paoline, 2012 ; Paoline & Lambert, 2012 ; Spinaris, Denhof, & Kellaway, 2012 ). For administrators focused on improving the jail environment, the Job Demand-Control-Support model could enhance their understanding of the sources of stress for custodial security officers and inform response and/or treatment efforts.…”

“…Among correctional officers, work stress may manifest itself as frustration, anger, anxiety, and/or extreme worry ( Cullen et al, 1985 ; Steiner & Wooldredge, 2015 ), all of which may adversely affect officers both in and outside of work. Officer stress has been linked to a number of negative outcomes such as mental health problems, job dissatisfaction, drug and alcohol abuse, substandard job performance, and suicide risk ( Finn, 2000 ; Jaegers et al, 2019 ; Lambert and Paoline, 2005 , Lambert and Paoline, 2012 ; Paoline & Lambert, 2012 ; Spinaris et al, 2012 ). In addition, stressed officers may begin to neglect aspects of their job that are essential to their success, including seemingly trivial activities such as settling inmate requests in a timely fashion, or more essential facets of their job such as maintaining open lines of communication with coworkers or inmates ( Ellison & Gainey, 2020 ; Steiner & Wooldredge, 2015 ).…”

“…Workplace violence and nonfatal injuries that result in absenteeism are common among correctional officers ( U.S. Department of Labor, 2016 ; Konda et al, 2012 ), as are health and occupational adversities such as stress, burnout, job dissatisfaction, and fatigue ( Lambert & Paoline, 2005 ; Paoline, Lambert, & Hogan, 2015 ; Schaufeli & Peeters, 2000 ; Steiner & Wooldredge, 2015 ; Triplett, Mullings, & Scarborough, 1996 ). Correctional officers also experience significant conflict between their work and family lives ( Armstrong, Atkin-Plunk, & Wells, 2015 ; Lambert et al, 2002 , Lambert et al, 2004 ; Lambert, Hogan, Camp, & Ventura, 2006 ), and have a heightened risk of developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD ( Jaegers et al, 2019 , Spinaris et al, 2012 ).…”

Trauma in the correctional field and the correctional worker habitus

“…The prevalence of burnout and OSIs among CWs, and correlates of such outcomes, is of emerging interest among international scholars (Carleton et al, 2020a; Denhof and Spinaris, 2016; Harizanova and Stoyanova, 2019; Jaegers et al, 2019; Regehr et al, 2019; Useche et al, 2019). Across studies, researchers have pointed to the high prevalence of mental health conditions and disorders among CWs.…”

Assessing Relative Stressors and Mental Disorders among Canadian Provincial Correctional Workers

“…The research on occupational stressors, prevalence of PPTE exposures, and relationships between PPTEs and mental health among CWs and other PSP is growing [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. The recent growth has been facilitated by calls to action from the Government of Canada [ 19 , 20 ].…”