Stress doesn’t kill us, it’s our reaction: exploring the relationship between coping mechanisms and correctional officer PTSD

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.

KEYWORDS:

• Correctional officers
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• coping
• Trauma

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) under Grant Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Correctional Officers: A Biopsychosocial Approach (NIJ 2017-R2-CX-0035).

Notes on contributors

Katie Hughes Taylor

Dr. Katie Hughes-Taylor is an assistant professor in the Criminal Justice department at Central State University in Ohio. She received in Ph.D. from the University of Louisville and her research interests include jails, prisons, and correctional officer health and wellness. This is her first publication.

Kristin Swartz

Dr. Kristin Swartz is an associate professor in the Criminal Justice department at the University of Louisville. Her research interests include correctional officer health and wellness as well as criminological theory. She has published works in Criminology and Victims and Offenders, among others.