This paper studied the identification and mitigation of robust organizational stressors and mediators on correctional officer health and wellness.
This research project aimed to fill gaps in research to understand the behavioral, psychological, and physiological impacts of organizational and administrative stressors and their mechanisms on correctional officers (CO). This research project was also the first to attempt to identify the most robust of those organizational stressors using quantitative and qualitative data. The mixed‐methods study used a Total Worker Health (TWH) approach including formative and epidemiological survey methods to determine the drivers of organizational and administrative stressors. The evidence gathered was shared with an expert panel to identity the most promising methods at the organizational and individual level to mitigate the impact of organizational factors on CO stress. The data gathered were used to create a toolkit of resources for prison institutions to tailor policies, programs, and practices to protect against organizational and administrative stressors and enhance CO health. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) was the ideal occupational population to conduct this study. California employs the second largest number of COs in the US with over 36,000 employees, and has the second largest imprisoned population nationally. This project provided valid data and a toolkit of resources to evaluate as an evidence-based intervention in a future grant.