Burhanullah M Haroon, Rollings-Mazza Pamela, Galecki Jeffrey, Van Wert Michael, Weber Thomas, Malik Mansoor
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.
PrimeCare Medical, Inc., Harrisburg, PA, United States.
Front Psychiatry. 2022 Jan 25;12:767385. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.767385. eCollection 2021.
Although United States (US) correctional workers (correctional officers and health care workers at correctional institutions) have experienced unprecedented stress during the COVID-19 pandemic, to date, there are no systematic data on the mental health impact of COVID-19 on correctional workers.
To determine the perceived mental health burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on correctional workers and to explore the relationship between workers' mental health, social demographics, and environmental/work factors. In particular, the study sought to examine if occupational role (correctional officers vs. health care workers) or sex were associated with mental health status.
This cross-sectional survey was conducted in 78 correctional sites in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and New York from November 1 to December 1, 2020. There were 589 participants, including 103 correctional officers and 486 health care workers employed at the correctional facilities. Measurements included the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Adult PROMIS Short Form v.1.0-Sleep Disturbance, Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Maslach Burnout Inventory 2-item, and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 2-item.
Approximately 48% of healthcare workers and 32% of correctional officers reported mild to severe depressive symptoms, 37% reported mild to severe anxiety symptoms, 47% of healthcare workers and 57% of correctional officers reported symptoms of burnout, and 50% of healthcare workers and 45% of correctional officers reported post-traumatic stress symptoms. Approximately 18% of healthcare workers and 11% of correctional officers reports mild to moderate sleep disturbance. Health care workers had significantly higher depression and sleep disturbance scores than did correctional officers, while correctional officers had significantly higher burnout scores. Female correctional workers scored significantly higher on anxiety than their male counterparts. Increased workload, workplace conflict, younger age of employees, trust in institutional isolation practices, and lower work position were associated with increased burnout. Despite experiencing high mental health burden, correctional workers showed high resilience (60%).
We found a high level of psychological symptoms among health care workers in correctional settings, and this population may experience unique challenges, risks and protective factors relative to other health care workers outside of correctional settings. Understanding these factors is essential for developing effective interventions for correctional workers.
尽管美国惩教工作者（惩教机构的惩教官员和医护人员）在新冠疫情期间经历了前所未有的压力，但迄今为止，尚无关于新冠疫情对惩教工作者心理健康影响的系统性数据。
确定新冠疫情对惩教工作者心理健康造成的感知负担，并探讨工作者心理健康、社会人口统计学特征以及环境/工作因素之间的关系。具体而言，该研究旨在考察职业角色（惩教官员与医护人员）或性别是否与心理健康状况相关。
2020年11月1日至12月1日，在宾夕法尼亚州、马里兰州、西弗吉尼亚州和纽约州的78个惩教场所开展了这项横断面调查。共有589名参与者，包括在惩教设施工作的103名惩教官员和486名医护人员。测量指标包括患者健康问卷-9、广泛性焦虑障碍量表-7、成人PROMIS简表v.1.0-睡眠障碍、事件影响量表修订版、马氏职业倦怠量表2项版以及康纳-戴维森心理韧性量表2项版。
约48%的医护人员和32%的惩教官员报告有轻度至重度抑郁症状，37%报告有轻度至重度焦虑症状，47%的医护人员和57%的惩教官员报告有职业倦怠症状，50%的医护人员和45%的惩教官员报告有创伤后应激症状。约18%的医护人员和11%的惩教官员报告有轻度至中度睡眠障碍。医护人员的抑郁和睡眠障碍得分显著高于惩教官员，而惩教官员的职业倦怠得分显著更高。女性惩教工作者的焦虑得分显著高于男性同行。工作量增加、工作场所冲突、员工年龄较小、对机构隔离措施的信任以及较低的工作职位与职业倦怠增加相关。尽管承受着较高的心理健康负担，但惩教工作者表现出较高的心理韧性（60%）。
我们发现惩教场所的医护人员存在高水平的心理症状，相对于惩教场所之外的其他医护人员，这一群体可能面临独特的挑战、风险和保护因素。了解这些因素对于为惩教工作者制定有效的干预措施至关重要。
