Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Counseling Psychology

Committee Chair

Ashley Batastini

Committee Member

Sue Lease

Committee Member

Richard Lightsey

Committee Member

Shelley R Keith

Abstract

An estimated 2.3 million people are currently incarcerated in the United States (Sawyer and Wagner, 2020). As a result, mass incarceration has created job opportunities managing and overseeing facilities that house justice involved individuals. Given the high prevalence of aggressive and violent behavior, exposure to trauma is inevitable in correctional settings. In addition to traumatic exposure and response symptoms, correctional security staff report experiencing job-related burnout at high rates, resulting in quick turnover. After surveying a sample of 288 correctional staff from two state departments of correction, the current study used a moderated mediation path analysis to examine the role of coping strategies and psychopathic personality traits in buffering the relationship between trauma exposure, trauma symptoms, and burnout. It was hypothesized that trauma symptoms would mediate the relationship between trauma exposure and burnout such that more exposure would lead to an increase in trauma symptoms and subsequently more burnout. Additionally, it was hypothesized that this relationship would be moderated by the three separate variables: approach-based coping, avoidant-based coping, and psychopathic personality traits. Results showed positive relationships between trauma exposure, trauma symptoms, and burnout were positively related. No support was found for approach-based coping styles or psychopathic personality traits as mitigating factors in this linear relationship. However, consistent with the literature, avoidant-based coping was associated with higher levels of trauma symptoms and burnout. From these findings, correctional facilities can train officers in other methods for coping with trauma that will be more effective and reduce the risk of burnout.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest

Notes

Open Access

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