Associations Between Perceived Occupational Prestige and Psychological Symptoms in Correctional Supervisors

Details

• Journal Article:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Personal Author:
  Cole, Wayne A. Jr. ; Dugan, Alicia G. ; Namazi, Sara ; Brown, Stacey L. ; Rinker, Robert D. ; Preston, Julius C. ; Decker, Ragan E. ; Cherniack, Martin G.
• Description:
  Objective: Low occupational prestige - societal perceptions that certain jobs and workers are of low social status - may affect correctional worker well-being. We hypothesized that (1) low prestige is associated with psychological symptoms and (2) the association is mediated by stress. Methods: Correctional supervisors (n = 168) completed a survey with measures of occupational prestige, psychological symptoms, work context, and sociodemographic information. Direct and indirect effects were tested using standard multiple regression. Results: The sample consisted primarily of males (74%) who were married or partnered (72%) with a mean age of 42.5 years (SD, 6.4 years). Direct and indirect (through stress) relationships were observed between low occupational prestige and psychological symptoms. Conclusions: Findings suggest that corrections workers perceive lower occupational prestige to be a work-related stressor with implications for psychological well-being. Future longitudinal studies may establish causality among variables.
• Subjects:
  Correctional Facilities Occupational Health Safety Stress, Psychological
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Occupational Prestige; Psychological Symptoms; Stress; Correctional Supervisors Correctional Facilities; Occupations; Sociological Factors; Wellbeing; Sociodemographic Factors; Psychological Effects; Job Stress; Occupational Psychology;
• Source:
  J Occup Environ Med 2025 Oct; 67(10):823-833
• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; Connecticut ; Rhode Island ; Virginia ; Boston Region [OSHA] ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  11 pdf pages
• Volume:
  67
• Issue:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071291
• Contact Point Address:
  Alicia G. Dugan, PhD, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, 263 Farmington Ave, Farmington, CT 06030
• Email:
  adugan@uchc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• Performing Organization:
  University of Massachusetts, Lowell
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20060701
• End Date:
  20210831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8184a14b75fd86a11dfcf24fb09cd52a91289f40d75446d4f188ee29be0be9c9aa88b15d3582fc771b5ca37c2309edfc3ffcf2b81dfa8b4084eae5c732ff7cc7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/258768/cdc_258768_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 465.49 KB ]