The main purpose of the study was to provide a
cost-effective intervention for the treatment of stress and burnout in
probation officers, which did not require a significant commitment of
time.
The study used a quasi-experimental design, with a
multidimensional approach toward the design of an education-based
stress intervention program. It was for probation officers and a
significant other, where "significant other" was defined as a person
who had lived with the officer for more than one year. Officers and
their significant others were exposed to a series of interventions
related to various aspects of stress including: stress education,
organizational sources of stress, individual response to stress, and
how to communicate about stress in the home. The study participants
were recruited from the Harris County Community Supervision and
Corrections Department based in Houston, Texas. The program consisted
of four course modules and three assessments including: a pretest, a
post-test (administered one month after intervention), and a six-month
follow-up. The surveys were completed by 31 officers. At the beginning
of the first module, each probation officer and significant other was
given an envelope containing the pretest assessments: a Maslach
Burnout Inventory (MBI) and a knowledge of stress inventory. The
burnout inventory (Part 1) was a self-report measure containing three
sub-scales: emotional exhaustion (9 items), depersonalization (5
items), and lack of personal accomplishment (8 items). The 22 items
that comprise the inventory are rated based on a 0-7 Guttman scale
consisting of: never, a few times a year or less, once a month or
less, a few times a month, once a week, a few times a week, or
everyday. Each item in the burnout inventory is a statement about the
individual's feelings or attitudes about their work. The knowledge of
stress inventory (Part 2) was a 25 item multiple-choice survey
intended to assess the participants' knowledge of stress. The
questions on the knowledge of stress inventory were derived from the
curriculum for the present study and assessed all content areas of the
curriculum. The participants also completed an informed consent
document at the beginning of the first module. Both the post-test and
the follow-up assessments were sent to the officers through internal
department mail. All participants returned the completed assessments
to the principal investigator via the United States Postal Service.
Numerous efforts were made to ensure high subject response rates on
the assessments. All assessments were distributed with a cover letter
outlining the procedure for completing and returning the surveys.
After two weeks, the principal investigator made phone calls reminding
participants to complete and return the surveys. Further, the program
manager emailed reminders to the participants and contacted
participants' managers to have them verify that the officers had
returned the surveys.
The selection of study participants was through a
convenience sample of probation officers employed by the Harris County
Community Supervision and Corrections Department based in Houston,
Texas in June 2001 and their significant others. At the time of the
study, the department was comprised of 380 officers. Initially, the
program included 86 subjects. However, only 31 completed all four of
the training courses and completed all three assessments. Included in
the sample are three officers with personnel supervision duties.
Participant attrition was the result of three factors: (1) two
participants quit the department, (2) 12 did not complete the series
of four courses, and (3) the aftermath of flooding from Tropical Storm
Alison, which caused widespread damage in the study area. The study
started with 23 significant others expressing an interest to
participate. Only five attended the first class and only two completed
the study. Due to lack of response, no analyses could be applied to
this group.
All probation officers employed by the Harris County
Community Supervision and Corrections Department based in Houston,
Texas in June 2001.
individual
The data were collected from investigator-administered
questionnaires.
survey data
on-site questionnaire
Part 1, Burnout Inventory Data, includes
demographic variables such as gender, age, ethnicity, position within
the organization, and number of years experience with the department.
Part 1 also includes the pretest, post-test and follow-up response to
the burnout inventory. Part 2, Knowledge of Stress Inventory Data,
includes the pretest, post-test and follow-up responses, and scores
for the knowledge of stress inventory.
Of the 380 probation officers eligible for
participation in the study, 86 started the program by completing a
pretest assessment and the first of four training sessions. Only 31
completed the remaining three classes and the post-test and follow-up
assessments.
Part 1: For the Officers Survey, the researchers adapted the
Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Part 2: None.