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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?

This mixed-methods randomized controlled trial study, conducted in collaboration with three Dane County (Wisconsin) law enforcement agencies, compared the effects of an 8-week mindfulness training (MT) program relative to a waitlist control (WLC) group on biological, behavioral, and self-report measures of stress and stress-related health outcomes. Across a two-year data collection period, the research team randomly assigned 114 sworn law enforcement officers to MT or WLC groups. Across three timepoints (baseline, post-program, and 3-month follow-up), researchers assessed the impact of MT on perceived stress (Aim 1), physical and mental health outcomes including behaviorally assessed and self-reported sleep quality, cardiovascular risk factors, and symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression (Aim 2), and stress-related biological and behavioral markers (Aim 3), including cortisol output and a behavioral assay of hippocampus function. Data collected as part of this study include quantitative measures obtained during laboratory visits and a week of field data collection, as well as optional semi-structured qualitative interview data.

This collection currently contains the following file types available in zipped package format. Excluding changes made for confidentiality purposes, files have been released as they were received by ICPSR:

• Summary data: Master data file (nij_masterfile.csv) containing demographics, summed scores from self-report questionnaires, behavioral markers, biomarkers, and mindfulness practice logs; Fitbit activity, heart rate, and sleep data (nij_fitbitSummary.csv); saliva sample collection data (nij_salivaCollectionNotes.csv, nij_salivaQCSpreadsheet.xlsx, nij_salivaryCortCleaned.csv, nij_salivaryCortProcessed.csv, nij_salivaryCortRaw.csv); work event log data (nij_workEventsRaw.xlsx)
• Raw behavioral data files: for all timepoints, affective go/no-go task data (agnRaw) and mnemonic similarity task data (mstRaw)
• Summary behavioral data files (agnSummary): for all timepoints, affective go/no-go task data
• Raw Fitbit data files (fitbitRaw): activity/steps, heart rate, and sleep data for all timepoints
• Scripts: R, Python, and bash scripts, with readme files, that were used in biomarker and behavioral marker data cleaning/analysis

Qualitative interview data and documentation are not available at this time.