Stress in Juvenile Detention Officers


 


Research Problem


            The research will investigate stress arising in the domain of work and family as reported by juvenile detention officers. The work-family interface has received little attention in workers such as detention officers in stress research, therefore the present study aims to investigate work and family stress among juvenile detention officers.


 


Statement of the Problem


            The study will investigate self-reported stress among juvenile detention officers in the domain of work and family.


 


Purpose of the Study


            The aim of the study is to (1) identify the major work and family stressors among juvenile detention officers; (2) identify the impacts of work and family stress on the job performance of juvenile detention officers; (3) identify the impacts of work and family stress on the family life of juvenile detention officers; and (4) explore the impacts that work and family stress have on each other.


 


Research Questions


            The study aims to investigate on the issue of work and life stress among juvenile detention officers. It aims to answer the following questions:


1. What are the major work and family stressors among juvenile detention officers?


2. What are the impacts of work and family stressors on the job performance of juvenile detention officers?


3. What are the impacts of work and family stress on the family life of juvenile detention officers?


4. What are the impacts that work and family stress have on each other?


 


Rationale, Relevance and Significance of the Study


            Stress is believed to be a part of human life. Adults suffer from stress. There are a plethora of studies that point at the workplace and the home as the primary sources of stress. As stress may arise both in the work and family domains, then it is logical to expect that stressors may have cumulative effect and that stress in the work environment may impact on stress in the home environment, and vice versa.


            The present study will be of relevance and significance to detention facility managers and human resource departments as it may provide illumination of the various stressors that impact the performance of detention officers. It will be of considerable contribution to the area of Human Resource Management particularly Health and Safety as the study intends to investigate the impacts of stress on the family-life and work-life of detention officers.  


 


Theoretical Framework


            Work-family research have been divided into work-family conflict (work interfering with family) and family-work conflict (family interfering with work). Different types of spillover have been identified across the work and family domains: (a) negative spillover from work to family; (b) positive spillover from work to family; (c) negative spillover from family to work; and (d) positive spillover from family to work (Williams and Alliger 1994). The study will flow in the similar vein with the intention to discuss both work stress and family stress and investigate on spillover.


 


Research Design


            The study will make use of qualitative research design. The qualitative research design often involves a merging together of various data collection strategies. It is flexible and elastic, capable of adjusting to what is being learned during the course of data collection. The qualitative research design tends to be holistic, striving for an understanding of the whole and it requires researchers to become intensely involved.


            According to Newman and Benz (1998), a qualitative research involves an interpretative, naturalistic approach of the subject matter. Qualitative research is about studying things in their natural settings. A researcher conducting qualitative research attempts to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meaning people bring to them. Qualitative research involves different methods of gathering and collecting of empirical materials such as case study personal experience, introspective, life story, interview, observational, historical, interactions, and visual texts.


 


Data Collection Procedure


            The primary mode of data collection is survey. The sample will be drawn from different juvenile detention facilities. The researchers will coordinate with the management of these detention facilities and will ask for permission to include detention officers in the study. Once the management gives permission, one of the researchers will attend a staff meeting where the purpose of the study will be explained and questionnaires will be distributed.


 


Analysis Procedure


            In order to assess the perceived work and family stress among juvenile detention officers, The 10-item form of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (see appendix) by Cohen et al (1983) will be used. The PSS will be used to measure the degree to which situations in one’s life are perceived as stressful. Participants will be asked to indicate how often they felt or thought a certain way during the last month. Items will e answered using a 5-point scale ranging from 0 (never) to 4 (very often).


 


            In order to investigate on the sources of work and family stress, the researchers will device two questions that will require the participants to rate sources of work and family stress on a scale of 0 (not stressful) to 7 (extremely stressful).  To explore specific stressors in the work and family  contexts, two open-ended questions will ask participants to indicate the greatest source of work stress and the greatest source of family stress that they had experiences during the last month.


            In order to investigate on stress spillover, the researchers will include to questions asking participant to indicate the extent to which work stress impacted in home and the extent to which home stress impacted on work. These will be answered using a 0 (not at all) to 7 (very much) scale.


 


Limitations to the Study


            One of the researchers’ perceived limitations of the study is the likelihood that the individuals who are experiencing more stress may not complete and return the questionnaire. Therefore, the levels of stress found may not be an accurate reflection of those in the intended population.


            Another perceived limitation of the study is the use of self-report measure. Self-report measures are subject to problems of memory and language ambiguity. There is also a possibility of measurement biases, for example a participant may not report his work as being stressful for fear of such comments may affect their relationship with the management.


 


 


References


Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., and Mermelstein, R. (1983). A Global Measure of Perceived Stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 385-396.


Newman, I. and Benz, C. R. (1998). Qualitative-Quantitative Research Methodology: Exploring the Interactive Continuum. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.


Williams, K.J. and Alliger, G.M. (1994). Role Stressors, Mood Spillover, and Perceptions of Work-Family Conflict in Employed Parents. Academy of Management Journal, 37, 837-868.


 


 


Appendix


 




Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com


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