Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Job Burnout Among Jail Officers.

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.