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

Jaegers LA, Vaughn MG, Werth P, Matthieu MM, Ahmad SO, Barnidge E. Work-Family Conflict, Depression, and Burnout Among Jail Correctional Officers: A 1-Year Prospective Study. Safety and health at work. 2021 Jun 1; 12(2):167-173.

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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   =  .52,   <  .001) and depression symptoms (B   =  .06,   <  .01) were significant predictors of burnout. Less time on the job remained a significant predictor of burnout across all analyses (B   =  .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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