Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Job Burnout Among Jail Officers : Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

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ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Job Burnout Among Jail Officers

Jaegers, Lisa A. PhD; Matthieu, Monica M. PhD; Vaughn, Michael G. PhD; Werth, Paul MS; Katz, Ian M. MS; Ahmad, Syed Omar PhD

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Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 61(6):p 505-510, June 2019. | DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001600

Abstract

Objective: 

The aim of this study was to explore posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom prevalence and health characteristics among jail correctional officers, a generally understudied population of public safety workers.

Method: 

A Conservation of Resources (COR)-inspired framework explored relationships to PTSD symptoms among jail officers (N = 320) employed in Midwest US jails.

Results: 

More than half (53.4%) of jail officers screened positively for PTSD. Hierarchical regression analysis indicates that burnout was a significant predictor of symptoms of PTSD (B = 0.25, P < 0.001). Self-efficacy (B = −0.42, P < 0.01), emotional labor (B = 0.20, P < 0.01), and an anxiety- or depression-related diagnosis (B = 0.92, P < 0.001) remained significant predictors of PTSD-related symptoms in the final step.

Conclusions: 

Our findings highlight the potentially high prevalence and impact of PTSD among jail officers, and offer implications for public safety workplace health interventions.

Copyright © 2019 by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

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