ABSTRACT

Developing research demonstrates that correctional officers (CO's) are at a higher risk for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than the general population, less is known about the relationship between how CO's cope with stress. Most CO's will be exposed to chronic stress and trauma while working in prisons, with approximately one-third of CO's eventually suffering from PTSD. It is important to explore the relationship between coping and PTSD because if certain coping styles are associated with different levels of PTSD, this could be used to inform training and programming for officers. This study examines officer coping and whether they impact the severity of PTSD symptoms among a group of approximately 245 correctional officers across seven adult state institutions from one Southern state. While controlling for exposure to violence and trauma experienced while on the job and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), this study explores whether multiple problem-focused and emotion-focused coping mechanisms are associated with the level of PTSD symptoms experienced by CO's. Results indicated multiple problem- and emotion-focused coping mechanisms were significantly related to PTSD symptoms, even when controlling for exposure to violence and trauma, ACEs, and other controls. Implications these findings have for practice, and directions for future research are discussed.

摘要

不断发展的研究表明，惩教人员 (CO) 患创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD) 的风险高于一般人群，但对 CO 如何应对压力之间的关系知之甚少。大多数 CO 在监狱中工作时会面临慢性压力和创伤，大约三分之一的 CO 最终会患上创伤后应激障碍。探索应对与 PTSD 之间的关系很重要，因为如果某些应对方式与不同程度的 PTSD 相关联，这可用于为警官的培训和规划提供信息。这项研究调查了警察的应对方式，以及它们是否会影响来自南部一个州的七个成人国家机构的大约 245 名惩教人员的 PTSD 症状的严重程度。在控制在工作中遭受的暴力和创伤以及不良童年经历 (ACE) 的同时，本研究探讨了多种以问题为中心和以情绪为中心的应对机制是否与 CO 经历的 PTSD 症状水平相关。结果表明，多个以问题和情绪为中心的应对机制与 PTSD 症状显着相关，即使在控制暴露于暴力和创伤、ACE 和其他控制时也是如此。讨论了这些发现对实践的影响，并讨论了未来研究的方向。结果表明，多个以问题和情绪为中心的应对机制与 PTSD 症状显着相关，即使在控制暴露于暴力和创伤、ACE 和其他控制时也是如此。讨论了这些发现对实践的影响，并讨论了未来研究的方向。结果表明，多个以问题和情绪为中心的应对机制与 PTSD 症状显着相关，即使在控制暴露于暴力和创伤、ACE 和其他控制时也是如此。讨论了这些发现对实践的影响，并讨论了未来研究的方向。