Defining Stress among Oregon Corrections Professionals
Institution
OHSU
Program/Major
MPH Epidemiolgoy
Degree
Already completed
Presentation Type
Presentation
Start Date
4-7-2020 4:14 PM
End Date
4-7-2020 4:27 PM
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/33766
Keywords
Stress, occupational health
Abstract
Corrections professionals experience some of the highest levels of chronic stress compared to other occupations. This leads to poor mental and physical health, increased mortality, negative job performance, and increased economic costs, such as work-related injuries, sick leave, worker’s compensation claims and disability. Improving health and safety among this occupation requires identifying the factors contributing to stress and the associated economic impact. We assessed corrections professionals (n=296) working at six different Oregon Department of Corrections facilities near the Portland-area of varying security levels. Participants completed a cross-sectional survey, including demographics, work history and validated stress and occupational constructs. The outcome of perceived stress was measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4 Short Form; Cohen, Kamarack & Mermelstein, 1983). Using a mixed linear effects regression model, we found that perceived stress increases with increased work-related stress (p=0.02), work hours (p=0.03), operational stressors (p=0.002), and procedural injustice (p=0.03) and decreases with more time employed at current facility (p=0.06), improved job satisfaction (p
Defining Stress among Oregon Corrections Professionals
Corrections professionals experience some of the highest levels of chronic stress compared to other occupations. This leads to poor mental and physical health, increased mortality, negative job performance, and increased economic costs, such as work-related injuries, sick leave, worker’s compensation claims and disability. Improving health and safety among this occupation requires identifying the factors contributing to stress and the associated economic impact. We assessed corrections professionals (n=296) working at six different Oregon Department of Corrections facilities near the Portland-area of varying security levels. Participants completed a cross-sectional survey, including demographics, work history and validated stress and occupational constructs. The outcome of perceived stress was measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4 Short Form; Cohen, Kamarack & Mermelstein, 1983). Using a mixed linear effects regression model, we found that perceived stress increases with increased work-related stress (p=0.02), work hours (p=0.03), operational stressors (p=0.002), and procedural injustice (p=0.03) and decreases with more time employed at current facility (p=0.06), improved job satisfaction (p