Disentangling the Effects of Trauma Experienced at Work and at Home and the Mental Health of Correctional Staff

• In Event: Stress, Trauma, and Coping among Correctional Officers

Abstract

Understanding the nature and extent of domestic violence among those working in criminal justice is difficult in part due to the difficulty of accessing data regarding this issue. As a part of a larger project which focused on the incidence of PTSD and other quality of life issues among correctional staff, the conflict tactics scale (CTS) was used. The CTS is a validated scale of both domestic violence perpetration and victimization. It includes measures of negotiation, psychological aggression, physical assault, sexual coercion, and injury. The current study examines trauma experienced both at work and at home and their relationships with PTSD and depression. The overall goal is to better understand the independent and combined effects of exposure to trauma at home and at work and how this impacts the mental health of correctional staff. Several analytic models are presented and implications of these findings are discussed.

Authors

• Ruben Pavlov, University of Louisville

• Kristin Swartz, University of Louisville

• Ashley French, University of Louisville