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The relationship between psychological distress, work burnout, and firearm ownership among correctional officers
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DOI：10.1080/15555240.2025.2600666.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
Correctional officers (COs) experience exceptionally high levels of occupational stress, burnout, and psychological distress. National data document elevated rates of depression, trauma exposure, sleep disruption, and suicide among COs, yet little research has explored how off-duty factors-such as personal firearm ownership-may influence these outcomes. This study examined the relationship between psychological distress, burnout, and firearm ownership among 217 COs. We analyzed cross-sectional survey data using validated measures of psychological distress and burnout. Firearm ownership was categorized as ever versus never owned. Demographic, occupational, and mental health characteristics were summarized, and ordinal logistic regression models estimated associations between firearm ownership and burnout. Respondents were primarily male (62.6%) and aged 21-40, with most earning $50,000 or more annually. Psychological distress was common across groups, with White COs reporting the highest mean distress scores. Over half (54.5%) had ever owned a firearm. COs who had never owned a firearm had significantly lower odds of burnout. In minimally adjusted models, never-owners had an 82% reduction in burnout odds (OR = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.08-0.40); in fully adjusted models, this protective association persisted (OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.12-0.67). Findings highlight substantial psychological distress among COs and suggest firearm ownership may be an important off-duty factor associated with burnout risk.
Keywords:
Burnout
correctional officers
firearms
psychological distress
Journal
J
IF:
0.8
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60
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0
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