Working Conditions, Work–Life Conflict, and Well-Being in U.K. Prison Officers

Abstract

Although prison officers experience working conditions associated with work–life conflict, little research has explored this issue. This study draws upon the work–home resources model to investigate relationships between working conditions (demands and experiences of aggression) and time-based, strain-based, and behavior-based work–life conflict in U.K. prison officers (N = 1,682). Associations between working conditions, work–life conflict, and emotional exhaustion were also examined. Two recovery behaviors (affective rumination and detachment) were considered as potential moderators of associations between working conditions and emotional exhaustion. High levels of all work–life conflict dimensions were found, which were related to working conditions and emotional exhaustion. Some evidence was found that higher rumination and lower detachment exacerbated the positive association between both job demands and aggression and emotional exhaustion. The implications of the findings for the well-being and professional functioning of prison officers are discussed, together with key areas for future research.

‘You can't tell anyone how you really feel’: Exploring emotion management and performance among prison staff who have experienced the death of a prisoner

“…The findings regarding spillover also lend support to recent work by Kinman et al (2017), who suggest that clearer boundaries between work and home can protect prison staff from the negative emotional impact of experiences at work on their wellbeing. While participants in the current study identified physical boundaries between their work and home lives, many also reported several instances where these boundaries had been breached.…”

Always on, never done? How the mind recovers after a stressful workday?

“…In a recent study, Haun and Baethge (2020) showed that affective rumination moderated the sleep trajectory during morning shift work for nurses. A study by Kinman et al (2017) showed that that more rumination and less detachment exacerbates the positive relationship between both job demands and aggression and emotional exhaustion. Additionally, some research indicates that the effects of state rumination depend on the level of trait rumination.…”

Examining the Influence of Work–Family Conflict on Job Stress, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment Among Correctional Officers

“…The importance of WFC is highlighted through the broad and extensive research produced by correctional scholars. For instance, research has found that various measures of both WFC and FWC are related to decreased life satisfaction and increased job burnout (Kinman, Clements, & Hart, 2017; Lambert et al, 2005; Lambert & Hogan, 2010b). Although these findings highlight the expansive influence of WFC, much of the research tends to focus on select workplace variables such as job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment.…”