Adverse Effects of Corrections Work and a Total Worker Health Program to Enhance Well-Being, Oregon, 2021-2023 (ICPSR 39289)

Version Date: Jul 28, 2025

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Principal Investigator(s):
Kerry Kuehl, Oregon Health & Science University

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR39289.v1

Version V1

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Summary

This study sought to understand whether programs that promote mindfulness combined with more typical health and safety components can uniquely benefit corrections professionals. The data includes variables related to demographics, work history, mindfulness, mood states, perceived stress, health behaviors, work-life balance, and other occupational factors such as perceptions of the workplace.

Citation

Kuehl, Kerry. Adverse Effects of Corrections Work and a Total Worker Health Program to Enhance Well-Being, Oregon, 2021-2023. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2025-07-28. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR39289.v1

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Funding

United States Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. National Institute of Justice (2020-R2-CX-0006)

Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage

Restrictions

Access to these data is restricted. Users interested in obtaining these data must complete a Restricted Data Use Agreement, specify the reason for the request, and obtain IRB approval or notice of exemption for their research.

Distributor(s)

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
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Time Period(s)

2021 -- 2023
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Study Purpose

The overarching goal of this study was to improve individual's wellness and mitigate the negative effects of chronic stress associated with the corrections occupation. The study sought to do this by developing, implementing, and assessing the feasibility and acceptability of an innovative, scalable health and safety intervention for corrections professionals. The intervention was based on a model of stress that included organizational and interpersonal factors, as well as enhancing individuals' wellness abilities.

Study Design

This was a prospective single-arm proof-of-concept feasibility and acceptability trial using a quasi-experimental pre-post design to compare values of outcome measures at baseline and immediately postintervention (approximately 3 months after baseline). A final survey was administered approximately 6 months postintervention (or 9 months after baseline). The 12-week intervention included 12, 60 minute weekly meetings of coworkers. The sessions were a combination of a 3-minute video, mindfulness activity, a group learning activity, and creating personal goals that will be followed up at the next meeting. Also part of the intervention was the at home use of the Headspace mindfulness application, as activities will address healthy lifestyle behaviors.

Sample

Eligible participants were corrections professionals (security and non-security staff), working at two prison sites within the Oregon State Department of Corrections. Enrollment criteria include being employed for at least six months, with the exclusion criteria of planning to leave or retire during the next nine months. One institution was a medium-security male prison, and it employed 325 total, with 190 security staff and 135 non-security. The second site was a medium- and minimum-security women's prison employing 496 total employees, with 262 security staff and 234 non-security. Enrollment in the study was on a first come basis, and 79 individuals were enrolled over a 3 month recruitment window.

Time Method

Longitudinal: Cohort / Event-based

Universe

Staff at two Oregon Department of Corrections facilities.

Unit(s) of Observation

Individual

Data Type(s)

Mode of Data Collection

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Original Release Date

2025-07-28

Version History

2025-07-28 ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:

  • Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.

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Notes

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