NCJ Number
116020
Date Published
1989
Length
159 pages
Annotation
After reviewing the literature on the conceptualization and causes of job burnout as well as possible work conditions that contribute to probation and parole officers' burnout, this book reports on the findings and implications of a survey of 1,000 probation and parole personnel in four States regarding burnout issues.
Abstract
Writers on job burnout agree that it is a process of coping with intense, chronic job stress. Although it is related to other job-related problems such as reality shock, alienation, job satisfaction, and job stress, burnout is distinguishable from these concepts. Cherniss and Maslach have developed two of the more complex causal models for job burnout. The models are similar in proposing that stressors lead to stress, which, if intense and persistent, leads to burnout. The models also share many of the same variables as burnout sources, such as overload and role conflict. Some of the conditions of probation and parole employment that may lead to burnout are the nature of the job, workload, organizational design, and occupational support. In the survey, 1 out of 5 officers reported frequent feelings of emotional exhaustion, fewer than 10 percent reported feelings of depersonalization, and a minority reported feelings of lack of personal accomplishment. Officers from several States at two points in time reported similar job burnout scores. Overall, survey results indicate that most officers are not experiencing burnout, but a sizable minority are having difficulty coping in their jobs. Gender was not a strong determinant of burnout, and managers were experiencing fewer problems than line officers. Findings suggest several implications for managers, line officers, mission reform, and researchers. 22 tables, 2 figures, 250 references.