Probation/Parole Officer Psychological Well-Being: the Impact of Supervising Persons with Mental Health Needs

Gayman, Mathew D.; Powell, Nicholas; Bradley, Mindy S.

doi:10.1007/s12103-017-9422-6

Cited by 10 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…This is a notable gap, particularly given that, as part of the larger occupational category of public safety personnel, 1 the mental health and well-being of community correctional workers is of increasing concern to Canadian policymakers ( Oliphant, 2016 ). 2 Outside of Canada, scholars (largely conducting their research in the United States) have found that PPOs face a variety of occupational challenges with significant implications for their mental health and well-being, including exposure to stressful or potentially psychologically traumatic contact with releasees ( Gayman et al, 2018 ; Severson and Pettus-Davis, 2013 ) and excessive administrative and caseload demands ( DeMichele and Payne, 2007 ; Farrow, 2004 ; Finn and Kuck, 2005 ; Simmons et al, 1997 ; Slate et al, 2003 ; West and Seiter, 2004 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Operational and organisational stressors in community correctional work: Insights from probation and parole officers in Ontario, Canada

Norman

Ricciardelli

2021

Probation Journal

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In the current article, we investigate the occupational stressors parole and probation officers working in provincial correctional services in Ontario, Canada experience. We examine four specific stressors that emerged thematically from participants’ open-ended survey responses, and conceptualize these as operational factors (i.e., the duties of the job) or organisational factors (i.e., structural aspects of the organisation in which parole or probation officers work). Participants identified the operational stressor of exposure to potentially psychologically traumatic events and secondary trauma, as well as three predominant organisational stressors: paperwork and administrative tasks, insufficient human resources, and workplace relationships and tensions. Drawing from literatures on parole and probation, workplace stress, and organisational cultures and behaviours, we analyse how these stressors have detrimental impacts on the mental health and well-being of community correctional workers, which in turn compromises their ability to effectively supervise and support individuals on their caseload. Policy and well-being implications are discussed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Operational and organisational stressors in community correctional work: Insights from probation and parole officers in Ontario, Canada

Norman

Ricciardelli

2021

Probation Journal

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“…Regarding dimensions of burnout, high levels of emotional exhaustion (Gayman & Bradley, 2013;Gayman et al, 2018) were prominent, mirroring levels widely reported by social workers (Morse et al, 2012;Paris & Hoge, 2010). Aspects of CCO roles are akin to social work, relying on effective therapeutic rapport building, and involving regular exposure to emotionally complex situations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…Two studies (Gayman & Bradley, 2013;Gayman et al, 2018) investigating only one dimension of burnout, emotional exhaustion, utilised measures adapted from scales in the Children's Services Survey (Glisson & James, 2002), which has good reliability (Glisson & Durick, 1988;Glisson & Hemmelgarn, 1998). Merhav et al (2018) assessed VT using the Trauma and Attachment Belief Scale (TABS; Pearlman, 2003), demonstrated to have good validity and good internal consistency for the total scale (a ¼ .96), though this has ranged across the subscales (a ¼ .67 to .87; Pearlman, 2003).…”

Section: Selected Studies Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Predictive Factors Of Wrdmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Caseload size was explored by two studies (Gayman et al, 2018;Whitehead, 1986a), suggesting that higher caseloads were predictive of elevated burnout. Additionally, Gayman et al (2018) found that caseloads with increased numbers of those with mental health difficulties predicted higher levels of emotional exhaustion amongst probation and parole officers; yet when clients received mental health service support, staff reported decreased emotional exhaustion. Lewis et al (2013) investigated the relationship between WRD and client recidivism in caseloads, noting that those who supervised individuals who re-offended against children or committed sexual offences experienced significantly higher levels of compassion fatigue and burnout.…”

Section: Predictive Factors Of Wrdmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Extent and predictors of work-related distress in community correction officers: a systematic review

Page

Robertson

2021

Psychiatry, Psychology and Law

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Research indicates that indirect exposure to trauma can have a detrimental psychological impact on professionals working within, and interfacing with, law enforcement and the criminal justice system. This systematic review aimed to explore the extent and predictors of work-related distress amongst community corrections personnel. A search of five databases identified 19 papers eligible for inclusion; 16 addressed burnout, and the remainder investigated secondary trauma, vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue. Synthesis revealed that community corrections personnel reported burnout at levels akin to those of other professions working in forensic contexts, though reports of secondary trauma appeared higher. Predictive factors encompassed personal, role-based and organisational factors. Research reporting work-related distress in correctional officers is focused on burnout but uses divergent models of stress, reveals methodological weaknesses, and to date has little examined responses to indirect trauma. The limitations of this review are discussed, alongside clinical implications and areas for future research.

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The link between attitudes toward probationers and job burnout in Turkish probation officers

Ersayan

Çankaya

Erdem

et al. 2021

Journal Community Psychology

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The goal of the current study was to investigate individual‐level factors associated with job burnout among probation officers (POs) and, specifically, to examine if attitudes toward probationers were linked with job burnout in the context of the recently established probation system in Turkey. Participants (N = 115) were recruited from a probation office in Istanbul. Job burnout was assessed via three components: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and professional accomplishment. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that more favorable attitudes toward probationers were related to a lower sense of depersonalization and higher experience of professional accomplishment. However, POs’ attitudes toward probationers were not associated with emotional exhaustion. Our findings are discussed in light of the present empirical literature on the contextual factors influential in job burnout. Practical implications for burnout prevention point to the potential effectiveness of working on attitudes among POs toward the people they supervise.

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Probation/Parole Officer Psychological Well-Being: the Impact of Supervising Persons with Mental Health Needs

Cited by 10 publications

References 67 publications

Operational and organisational stressors in community correctional work: Insights from probation and parole officers in Ontario, Canada

Operational and organisational stressors in community correctional work: Insights from probation and parole officers in Ontario, Canada

Extent and predictors of work-related distress in community correction officers: a systematic review

The link between attitudes toward probationers and job burnout in Turkish probation officers

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