Resisting burnout

Abstract

This document summarizes the author’s research on how spirituality helps correctional workers avoid burnout and maintain emotional resilience in their work. The mixed methods design used an online survey to collect data from COs and correctional chaplains from the Departments of Correction of Oregon and Nevada, measuring their levels of burnout, resilience and spirituality. Qualitative data were collected in follow–up interviews. Findings supported the theoretical premise that COs’ resilience and resistance to burnout are socially learned behaviors and these socially learned behaviors are the result of a dynamic interaction with their prison work environments. COs who score higher on indices of spirituality also scored higher in resilience and lower in burnout measures than COs working in the same environment who did not report spirituality as important to their daily lives.

Keywords

• Resilience and spirituality
• religion in American prisons