Building resilience: examining PTSD, personality, and coping

There has been a recent focus on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Canadian public safety personnel, yet few studies have examined PTSD specifically among correctional officers. The demands of correctional work involve managing violence and dealing with a population experiencing multiple criminogenic risks and needs factors. These job stressors can affect a person’s ability to cope and increase the risk of PTSD. This study examined PTSD, personality, and coping strategies in a sample of BC corrections officers and sheriffs (n = 53). PTSD was screened according to the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (Weathers et al., 2013), the five-factor model of personality was assessed by administering items from the International Personality Item Pool (Goldberg et al. 2006), and coping strategies were assessed by the Brief COPE (Carver, 1997). Results indicated that a large proportion of participants (42%) met the criteria for PTSD. Furthermore, there was a significant negative association between neuroticism and PTSD. Finally, there was a significant positive association between avoidance coping and PTSD severity, whereas there was a significant negative association between positive thinking and PTSD. These findings indicate a need for more research to be conducted with correctional officers to determine how their institutional environment influences the development of PTSD. Furthermore, there is a strong need for an evaluation to assess which employee supports and services are working and to identify which supports and services are perceived to be insufficient to address correctional officers’ needs.