NCJ Number
222415
Date Published
2008
Length
68 pages
Annotation
This report commissioned by the Sector Directorate of the Prison System in the Netherlands, provides insight into the potential consequences of aggression and violence among penitentiary workers, and into the determinants at its source.
Abstract
The following conclusions can be drawn based on the research results: (1) violent experiences of penitentiary workers, whether by committed detainees or coworkers, do not seem to go together with a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or with a clinically significant degree of renewed experience, hyper-arousal, or avoidance; (2) talking to colleagues about aggression and violence among employees seems to protect penitentiary workers who have fallen victim to it from developing PTSD symptoms; (3) when either PTSD or a clinically significant degree of renewed experience, hyper-arousal, or avoidance occurs, this seems to go together with absenteeism; (4) type D personality seems to be an important predictor of posttraumatic stress symptoms among penitentiary workers; and (5) as far as a relation existing between adult attachment style and posttraumatic stress, whether this applies to a PTSD diagnosis or posttraumatic stress symptoms, this seems to be explained by other factors. Aggression and violence among employees, negative affectivity, and type D personality seem to be potential mediators. A literature study reveals that hardly any research has been conducted on either the possible consequences of aggression and violence among penitentiary workers, or the psychosocial factors responsible for it. The primary goal of this study was to gain insight into the possible consequences of aggression and violence among a sample of 174 penitentiary workers, as well as insight into the determinants at its source. Respondents were interviewed about their experiences with violence during their work. In addition to the interview, respondents were given three questionnaires. References