Tough lessons: Pathways toward correctional officer resilience and growth.

Abstract

Research examining the well-being of correctional officers (COs) has primarily focused on their exposure to potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTE) and the presence of mental health disorders once employed. Absent is an understanding of the mental health of COs and their exposures to PPTEs before entering the federal CO occupation. In the current article, we qualitatively examine how themes of resilience and posttraumatic growth emerge in correctional officer recruit narratives of overcoming their past experiences with PPTE exposures. Drawing from interview data, we analyzed the descriptions of PPTEs from 100 correctional officer recruits, focusing on experiences of coping with PPTEs and shedding light on their descriptions of resiliency and posttraumatic growth. Of our 100 participants, 86 reported prior exposure to a PPTE. Analyses of semistructured interviews reveal engagement in processes such as distancing, relationality, and vulnerability. We discuss how such processes may serve as strategies for resilience that can help COs, who work in carceral environments, cope with PPTEs and maintain or regain well-being.

First responder resilience: A cross-sectional network analysis.

“…The wording of Item 6 is compelling because scholars theorize that when given the opportunity and guidance, people will naturally strive for PTG (Moore et al, 2021). Scholarship in resilience and PTG are gaining traction among first responder subtypes: correctional officers (Konyk & Ricciardelli, 2022), EMTs (Austin et al, 2018; Ogińska-Bulik & Kobylarczyk, 2015), LEOs (McCanlies et al, 2014), and FFs (Sattler et al, 2014). While our study is cross-sectional, it may provide insight into the processes that result in a resilient outcome after an adverse life event.…”

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

“…Konyk and Ricciardelli (2023) qualitatively explored posttraumatic growth in Canadian correctional officer recruits who recognized growth in their compassion for others and sense of personal strength. However, as the participants were recruits the experiences that precipitated their posttraumatic growth did not occur in a correctional context.…”