Search results

Correctional officers (CO's) have high stress levels affecting their well-being and work performance. The longer-term adverse consequences of stress have been well documented. However, the immediate impacts of stress on CO's neurocognitive function have not been assessed (or among other law enforcement groups). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can measure ability to attend to relevant information when making decisions, especially when the context is emotionally charged. This study will use technology to understand the impact of CO's stress on their neurocognitive and physiological function.

The study builds on research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-funded Oregon Healthy Workforce Center that established an index of chronic stress among more than 1330 Oregon CO's. Researchers will perform a prospective 18-month observational study among CO's from two facilities (n=400) to relate their stress levels to work characteristics, work performance and economic costs. Researchers will identify a sub-cohort of higher/lower stress CO's (total n=60) and compare their fMRI findings; researchers will measure their biomarkers to develop predictive indices of fMRI findings and chronic stress levels. The overarching goal is to understand and effectively reduce chronic stress among corrections officers (COs).

The study attempts to ask the following questions:

1. How did stress levels among COs relate to work contributors of stress and work performance?
2. What were the relationships between fMRI, biomarker tests and stress in higher and lower stress sub-cohorts?

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

This study assessed the occupational experiences of forensic scientists working in laboratories across the United States. The sample included 899 forensic scientists in public and private laboratories operating at the local, state, and federal level across the United States. The study addressed the levels of work stressors and satisfaction among forensic scientists across the various disciplines, along with any correlates to working conditions, requests from various criminal justice system actors, policies, procedures, and demographic conditions. The use of positive and negative coping strategies by scientists was also measured to assess how individuals working in the field are affected by their job. Finally, the ergonomic and working environment of bench scientists were assessed to consider any influence they might have on their reported levels of stress and satisfaction.

This study sought to better understand the long-term implications of critical incident exposure on mental health outcomes among correctional officers. To accomplish this objective, the research team compiled a longitudinal dataset comprised of three types of assessments. First, to assess mental health outcomes as well as subjective appraisals of psychological stress, the researchers surveyed correctional officers at three waves of data collection, spaced approximately six months apart. These surveys included questions related to demographics, work assignments, perceptions of workplace danger, work-family conflict, social support, and work-related psychological stress. In addition, the wave 1 and wave 3 surveys included items from psychometrically validated measures of mental health problems--posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. Second, to assess changes in physiological stress over the study period, the research team collected salivary biomarkers Cortisol and Alpha-Amylase during each wave of data collection. Third, the researchers compiled objective indicators of critical incident exposure (e.g. disciplinary data and detailed incident reports) rather than relying on subjective assessments. The compiled dataset allowed for not only the direct association between critical incident exposure and mental health problems, but also indirect pathways that included psychological stress and physiological stress. The resulting dataset consists of 488 officers employed at three correctional institutions across Minnesota.