An Exploratory Examination of the Consequences of Burnout in Terms of Life Satisfaction,Turnover Intent,and Absenteeism Among Private Correctional Staff
Restricted accessOtherFirst published online March, 2010
An Exploratory Examination of the Consequences of Burnout in Terms of Life Satisfaction,Turnover Intent,and Absenteeism Among Private Correctional Staff
Burnout, a syndrome caused by excessive strain and psychological exhaustion, comprises the dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feelings of being ineffective. Survey results from 160 correctional staff at a maximum security private prison in the Midwest were used to compute ordinary least squares regression equations in order to reveal the effects of burnout on the outcomes of life satisfaction, turnover intent, and absenteeism. Ineffectiveness was linked with none of the three outcomes. Depersonalization was linked with increased turnover intent and more frequent absenteeism, and emotional exhaustion was linked with all three outcomes. The results differed somewhat between female and male staff and between correctional and noncorrectional officers.
Belcastro, P., Gold, R., & Grant, J. ( 1982). Stress and burnout: Physiologic effects on correctional teachers. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 9, 387-395.
2.
Carlson, J., Anson, R., & Thomas, G. ( 2003). Correctional officer burnout and stress: Does gender matter? The Prison Journal, 83, 277-288.
3.
Carlson, J., & Thomas, G. ( 2006). Burnout among prison caseworkers and corrections officers . Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 43(3), 19-34.
4.
Cherniss, C. ( 1980). Staff burnout: Job stress in the human services. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
5.
Donovan, N., & Halpern, D. ( 2002). Life satisfaction: The state of knowledge and implications for government. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/cabinetoffice/strategy/assets/paper.pdf
6.
Farkas, M. ( 1990). Professionalization: Is it the cure-all for what ails the correction officer. Journal of Criminal Justice, 13, 29-54.
7.
Garland, B. ( 2004). The impact of administrative support on prison treatment staff burnout: An exploratory study. The Prison Journal, 84, 452-471.
8.
Garner, B., Knight, K., & Simpson, D. ( 2007). Burnout among corrections-based drug treatment staff: Impact of individual and organizational factors. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 51, 510-522.
9.
Gerstein, L., Topp, C., & Correll, G. ( 1987). The role of the environment and person when predicting burnout among correctional personnel. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 14, 352-369.
10.
Hart, P. ( 1999). Predicting employee life satisfaction: A coherent model of personality, work and nonwork experiences, and domain satisfactions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, 564-584.
11.
Hepburn, J., & Knepper, P. ( 1993). Correctional officers as human service workers: The effect of job satisfaction. Justice Quarterly, 10, 315-335.
12.
Hurst, T., & Hurst, M. ( 1997). Gender differences in mediation of severe occupational stress among correctional officers. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 22, 121-137.
13.
Kantak, D., Futrell, C., & Sager, J. ( 1992). Job satisfaction and life satisfaction in a sales force . Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 12, 1-7.
14.
Keinan, G., & Malach-Pines, A. (2007). Stress and burnout among prison personnel: Sources, outcomes, and intervention strategies. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34, 380-398.
15.
Lach, J. ( 1999). Is it the flu or are you faking it? American Demographics, 22(11), 10-11.
16.
Lambert, E., Edwards, C., Camp, S., & Saylor, W. ( 2005). Here today, gone tomorrow, back again the next day: Absenteeism and its antecedents among federal correctional staff. Journal of Criminal Justice, 33, 165-175.
17.
Maslach, C. ( 1978). Job burnout: How people cope. Public Welfare, 36, 56-58.
18.
Maslach, C. ( 1982). Burnout: The cost of caring. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
19.
Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. ( 1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 2, 99-113.
20.
Mobley, W., Griffeth, R., Hand, H., & Meglino, B. ( 1979). Review and conceptual analysis of the employee turnover process. Psychological Bulletin, 86, 493-522.
21.
Morgan, R., Van Haveren, R., & Pearson, C. ( 2002). Correctional officer burnout: Further analysis. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 29, 144-160.
22.
Pastore, A., & Maguire, K. (Eds.). (2008). Sourcebook of criminal justice statistics. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/
23.
Pelletier, D., Couto, S., & Lamonde, A. ( 1996). Work and gender issues in secure juvenile delinquency facilities. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 40, 32-43.
24.
Price, J., & Mueller, C. ( 1986). Absenteeism and turnover among hospital employees. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
25.
Quinn, R., & Staines, G. ( 1979). The 1977 quality of employment survey. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan.
Robinson, D., Porporino, F.J., & Simourd, L. ( 1996). Do different groups vary on attitudes and work adjustments in corrections? Federal Probation, 60(3), 45-53.
28.
Sager, J., Griffeth, R., & Hom, P. ( 1998). A comparison of structural models representing turnover cognitions. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 53, 254-273.
29.
Stohr, M., Self, R., & Lovrich, N. ( 1992). Staff turnover in new generation jails: An investigation of its causes and preventions. Journal of Criminal Justice , 20, 455-478.
30.
Whitehead, J. ( 1989). Burnout in probation and corrections. New York: Praeger.
31.
Whitehead, J., & Lindquist, C. ( 1986). Correctional officer job burnout: A path model. Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency, 23, 23-42.
32.
Zupan, L. ( 1986). Gender-related differences in correctional officers’ perceptions and attitudes. Journal of Criminal Justice, 14, 349-361.
