Work–Family Conflict, Depression, and Burnout Among Jail Correctional Officers: A 1-Year Prospective Study

Lisa A. Jaegers; Michael G. Vaughn; Paul Werth; Monica M. Matthieu; Syed Omar Ahmad; Ellen Barnidge

doi:10.1016/j.shaw.2020.10.008

Work–Family Conflict, Depression, and Burnout Among Jail Correctional Officers: A 1-Year Prospective Study

Lisa A. Jaegers, Michael G. Vaughn, Paul Werth, Monica M. Matthieu, Syed Omar Ahmad, Ellen Barnidge

Graduate School of Social Welfare

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Correctional officers (COs) experience elevated rates of mental and physical ill-health as compared with other general industry and public safety occupations. The purpose of this study was to investigate demographic, mental health, job tenure, and work–family characteristics and their prospective association to burnout within and between jail officers during one year of new employment. Methods: In 2016, newly hired jail officers (N = 144) completed self-reported surveys across four time points in a one-year prospective study at a Midwestern United States urban jail. Linear mixed-effects and growth modeling examined how work–family conflict (W-FC) and depressive symptoms relate to perceptions of burnout over time. Results: Jail officer burnout increased and was related to rises in W-FC and depression symptoms. Within-person variance for W-FC (B_pooled =.52, p <.001) and depression symptoms (B_pooled =.06, p <.01) were significant predictors of burnout. Less time on the job remained a significant predictor of burnout across all analyses (B_pooled =.03, p <.001). Conclusions: Results from this study indicate that burnout increased during the first year of new employment; and increased W-FC, higher depression, and brief tenure were associated with burnout among jail COs. Future study of correctional workplace health is needed to identify tailored, multilevel interventions that address burnout and W-FC prevention and early intervention among COs.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	167-173
Number of pages	7
Journal	Safety and Health at Work
Volume	12
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2020.10.008
Publication status	Published - 2021 Jun

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors graciously thank the City of St. Louis Division of Corrections, correctional officers, and jail staff for their participation in the study. The authors are grateful for the assistance of the graduate students Emily Bixler, Ian Katz, and Anna Paskvalich who contributed to this research project. This project was supported, in part, by a pilot project grant from the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest (HWC) at the University of Iowa . The HWC is supported by Cooperative Agreement No. U19OH008868 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) . The contents are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC, NIOSH, or the HWC. The research protocol was approved by the Saint Louis University, Institutional Review Board.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Authors

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality
Safety Research
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Chemical Health and Safety

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.shaw.2020.10.008

Cite this

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title = "Work–Family Conflict, Depression, and Burnout Among Jail Correctional Officers: A 1-Year Prospective Study",

abstract = "Background: Correctional officers (COs) experience elevated rates of mental and physical ill-health as compared with other general industry and public safety occupations. The purpose of this study was to investigate demographic, mental health, job tenure, and work–family characteristics and their prospective association to burnout within and between jail officers during one year of new employment. Methods: In 2016, newly hired jail officers (N = 144) completed self-reported surveys across four time points in a one-year prospective study at a Midwestern United States urban jail. Linear mixed-effects and growth modeling examined how work–family conflict (W-FC) and depressive symptoms relate to perceptions of burnout over time. Results: Jail officer burnout increased and was related to rises in W-FC and depression symptoms. Within-person variance for W-FC (Bpooled =.52, p <.001) and depression symptoms (Bpooled =.06, p <.01) were significant predictors of burnout. Less time on the job remained a significant predictor of burnout across all analyses (Bpooled =.03, p <.001). Conclusions: Results from this study indicate that burnout increased during the first year of new employment; and increased W-FC, higher depression, and brief tenure were associated with burnout among jail COs. Future study of correctional workplace health is needed to identify tailored, multilevel interventions that address burnout and W-FC prevention and early intervention among COs.",

author = "Jaegers, {Lisa A.} and Vaughn, {Michael G.} and Paul Werth and Matthieu, {Monica M.} and Ahmad, {Syed Omar} and Ellen Barnidge",

note = "Funding Information: The authors graciously thank the City of St. Louis Division of Corrections, correctional officers, and jail staff for their participation in the study. The authors are grateful for the assistance of the graduate students Emily Bixler, Ian Katz, and Anna Paskvalich who contributed to this research project. This project was supported, in part, by a pilot project grant from the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest (HWC) at the University of Iowa . The HWC is supported by Cooperative Agreement No. U19OH008868 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) . The contents are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC, NIOSH, or the HWC. The research protocol was approved by the Saint Louis University, Institutional Review Board. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 The Authors",

year = "2021",

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doi = "10.1016/j.shaw.2020.10.008",

language = "English",

volume = "12",

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AU - Vaughn, Michael G.

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AU - Matthieu, Monica M.

AU - Ahmad, Syed Omar

AU - Barnidge, Ellen

N1 - Funding Information: The authors graciously thank the City of St. Louis Division of Corrections, correctional officers, and jail staff for their participation in the study. The authors are grateful for the assistance of the graduate students Emily Bixler, Ian Katz, and Anna Paskvalich who contributed to this research project. This project was supported, in part, by a pilot project grant from the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest (HWC) at the University of Iowa . The HWC is supported by Cooperative Agreement No. U19OH008868 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) . The contents are solely the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC, NIOSH, or the HWC. The research protocol was approved by the Saint Louis University, Institutional Review Board. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Authors

PY - 2021/6

Y1 - 2021/6

N2 - Background: Correctional officers (COs) experience elevated rates of mental and physical ill-health as compared with other general industry and public safety occupations. The purpose of this study was to investigate demographic, mental health, job tenure, and work–family characteristics and their prospective association to burnout within and between jail officers during one year of new employment. Methods: In 2016, newly hired jail officers (N = 144) completed self-reported surveys across four time points in a one-year prospective study at a Midwestern United States urban jail. Linear mixed-effects and growth modeling examined how work–family conflict (W-FC) and depressive symptoms relate to perceptions of burnout over time. Results: Jail officer burnout increased and was related to rises in W-FC and depression symptoms. Within-person variance for W-FC (Bpooled =.52, p <.001) and depression symptoms (Bpooled =.06, p <.01) were significant predictors of burnout. Less time on the job remained a significant predictor of burnout across all analyses (Bpooled =.03, p <.001). Conclusions: Results from this study indicate that burnout increased during the first year of new employment; and increased W-FC, higher depression, and brief tenure were associated with burnout among jail COs. Future study of correctional workplace health is needed to identify tailored, multilevel interventions that address burnout and W-FC prevention and early intervention among COs.

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Work–Family Conflict, Depression, and Burnout Among Jail Correctional Officers: A 1-Year Prospective Study

Abstract

Bibliographical note

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

UN SDGs

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