The Effectiveness of MBSR on the Occupational Stress of Correctional Officers

This dissertation looks at the negative effects of the work environment and other factors related to correctional officers lived experience. The intervention concentrates on the effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction on the occupational stress of correctional officers. Correctional officers have always dealt with difficult work conditions, but over the last 30 years the increase in the number of incarcerated people, the lack of retention among correctional officers, and the proliferation of inmates with complex mental health issues and gang affiliations have all created a much more complex and dangerous work environment. Combine this with the new understanding of the effects of stress on correctional officers’ health and quality of life and the need for improved coping and training for them has become extremely important. One intervention that has gained prominence in many areas is the discipline known as mindfulness-based stress reduction. This hybrid based on the ancient arts of yoga and meditation has been brought int Western culture by John Kabot Zinn among others. It has been proven to have dramatic effects on a person’s ability to deal with stress, chronic pain, and other health issues. This dissertation proposed that the use of online mindfulness-based stress reduction classes could have a positive impact on correctional officers’ ability to deal with occupational stress. Utilizing the Occupational Stress Index-Revised for pre and post testing the results did not provide significant results.