Correctional Officer Burnout: Further Analysis

• NCJ Number: 194557
• Journal: Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 29 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2002 Pages: 144-160
• Author(s): Robert D. Morgan; Richard A. Van Haveren; Christy A. Pearson
• Date Published: April 2002
• Length: 17 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the relationship of several variables that have led to inconsistent results in previous studies of correctional officer stress, and it expanded previous research by exploring the relationship between two new variables (occupational title and work station) with correctional officer stress.

Abstract

Study participants were 250 correctional officers (187 men and 54 women) from a Southwestern State department of corrections. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) was used to assess psychological or affective dimensions of burnout. The MBI-HSS measures three aspects of the burnout syndrome: depersonalization, personal accomplishments, and emotional exhaustion. To examine the relationship of previously studied variables on correctional officer stress, preliminary analyses were conducted to evaluate the effect and relationship of eight primary variables (age, gender, race, education, shift, tenure, hours of client contact, and security level) with correctional officer burnout. One-way multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) procedures for categorical variables and multiple regression analyses for continuous variables were conducted. To examine the effect of two previously unstudied variables (job title and work station) on correctional officer stress, one-way MANOVA procedures were used. Study findings indicated that older and more educated officers reported increased levels of personal accomplishment; whereas, less experienced officers and officers with increasing job responsibilities experienced increased levels of depersonalization and emotional exhaustion, along with decreased levels of personal accomplishment. Gender comparisons indicated that female correctional officers were less likely to respond impersonally to inmates than their male counterparts. Among the recommendations based on these findings are the scheduled rotation of officer shifts and work stations, annual training that focuses on sources and symptoms of stress and burnout as well as stress management techniques, and an increase in incentives for officers who continue their education. 46 references