NCJ Number
212311
Journal
Security Journal Volume: 18 Issue: 4 Dated: 2005 Pages: 33-50
Date Published
2005
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study examined the impact of role stressors on job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment among staff at a private prison.
Abstract
While an abundance of research has examined the impact of role stressors, such as role conflict, role ambiguity, and role overload, on job stress and job satisfaction, relatively little research has explored how role stressors may impact organizational commitment among correctional staff. The current study relied on survey data gathered from the staff at a private prison in the Midwest to examine how role stressors affected the staff’s levels of job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Role stressors were defined as role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload, and the dangerousness of the job. Results of ordinary least squares regression analyses indicated the importance of role stressors in influencing the job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment of private prison staff. In particular, while role conflict, role ambiguity, and role overload all impacted job satisfaction and stress, only role conflict and role ambiguity had an impact on organizational commitment among the prison staff. Policy implications are discussed and include the importance of reducing role ambiguity among prison staff. Future research should continue probing how the work environment impacts private prison staff. Tables, appendix, notes