Physiological and Psychological Responses to Critical Incidents among Correctional Officers

The applicant proposes a longitudinal examination of correctional officers' physiological and psychological responses to work-related critical incidents such as assaults on officers or inmates. Specifically, the applicant is interested in understanding the relationship between work-related critical incidents and the development of mental health problems among COs. This 3-year study will be carried out in three prisons under the jurisdiction of the Minnesota Department of Corrections (MDOC) and will involve a population of 803 correctional officers. The study identifies and then monitors the stress levels of the same group of COs over time with three waves of data collection, collected at six-month intervals. Each wave of data collections will involve collection of saliva samples from participating officers to identify stress biomarkers. Survey data will be collected at waves 1 and 3. This data will be correlated to official MDOC records pertaining to critical incidents that occurred: one year prior to wave 1; between waves 1 and 2, and between waves 2 and 3. Differences in prisoner populations, as well as officer demographics, rank, shift assignments, etc., will be accounted for in the study. Note: “This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law," and complies with Part 200 Uniform Requirements - 2 CFR 200.210(a)(14). CA/NCF