Abstract
Life satisfaction is a positive overall feeling towards one’s life and is an important factor for employees and their employers. There has been little research on life satisfaction of staff working at correctional institutions who play an important security role in the care, custody, and control of offenders. The current study explored how work environment variables are related to correctional staff life satisfaction using the Job Demands-Job Resources Model, which holds that job demands and job resources are two major categories of work environment variables. Job demands cause strain for employees, creating negative outcomes and reducing positive outcomes while job resources result in staff being productive and feeling good, increasing positive outcomes and lowering negative outcomes. The current study focused on the specific job demands of perceiving the job as dangerous, role conflict, role ambiguity, and role overload, and the job resources of instrumental communication, job autonomy, job variety, and quality of training. The data was collected from 160 completed questionnaires from all available full-time staff (N = 200) at a prison in the midwestern part of the United States. Using multivariate regression analysis, it was found that role ambiguity and role overload had negative effects on life satisfaction, and job variety and quality training had positive effects. While the effects of job demand and job resource variables differed depending on the aspect of the work environment being examined, the results overall supported the Job Demands-Job Resources Model in explaining life satisfaction.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Perceiving the job as dangerous (i.e., having risks) was included in Model 1 because as pointed in the review this variable is both a control and a job demand variable. In addition, viewing the job as being dangerous may be influenced by the other job demand and job resource variables, such as role ambiguity and job autonomy.
References
Agho, A. O., Mueller, C. W., & Price, J. L. (1993). Determinants of employee job satisfaction: An empirical test of a causal model. Human Relations, 46, 1007–1027.
Armstrong, G. S., & Griffin, M. L. (2004). Does the job matter? Comparing correlates of stress among treatment and correctional staff in prisons. Journal of Criminal Justice, 32, 577–592.
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands-resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22, 309–328.
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands–resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22, 273–285.
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2018). Multiple levels in job demands-resources theory: Implications for employee well-being and performance. In E. Diener, S. Oishi, & L. Tay (Eds.), Handbook of well-being (pp. 1–13). DEF Publishers.
Berry, W. D. (1993). Understanding regression assumptions. Sage.
Boehm, J. K., Winning, A., Segerstrom, S., & Kubzansky, L. D. (2015). Variability modifies life satisfaction’s association with mortality risk in older adults. Psychological Science, 26, 1063–1070.
Bollen, K. (1989). Structural equations with latent variables. Wiley.
Brough, P., & Williams, J. (2007). Managing occupational stress in a high-risk industry: Measuring the job demands of correctional officers. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34, 555–567.
Castle, T. L., & Martin, J. S. (2006). Occupational hazard: Predictors of stress among jail correctional officers. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 31, 65–80.
Comrey, A. L., & Lee, H. B. (1992). A first course in factor analysis (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Cullen, F. T., Link, B., Wolfe, N., & Frank, J. (1985). The social dimensions of correctional officer stress. Justice Quarterly, 2, 505–533.
Curry, J. P., Wakefield, D. S., Price, J. L., & Mueller, C. W. (1986). On the causal ordering of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Academy of Management Journal, 29, 847–858.
Demerouti, E., & Bakker, A. B. (2011). The job demands-resources model: Challenges for future research. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 37(2), 1–9.
Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. (2001). The job demands-resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 499–512.
Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2005). Spillover and crossover of exhaustion and life satisfaction among dual-earner parents. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 67, 266–289.
Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95, 542–575.
Diener, E., Emmons, R., Larsen, R., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75.
Diener, E., Inglehart, R., & Tay, L. (2013). Theory and validity of life satisfaction scales. Social Indicators Research, 112, 497–527.
Diener, E., Suh, E., Lucas, R., & Smith, H. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 276–302.
Donovan, N., & Halpern, D. (2002). Life satisfaction: The state of knowledge and implications for government. Retrieved from http://www.number-10.gov.uk/su/ls/paper.pdf.
Erdogan, B., Bauer, T., Truxillo, D., & Mansfield, L. (2012). Whistle while you work: A review of the life satisfaction literature. Journal of Management, 38, 1038–1083.
Gordon, J., & Baker, T. (2017). Examining correctional officers’ fear of victimization by inmates: The influence of fear facilitators and fear inhibitors. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 28, 462–487.
Gordon, J. A., Moriarty, L. J., & Grant, P. H. (2003). Juvenile correctional officers’ perceived fear and risk of victimization: Examining individual and collective levels of victimization in two juvenile correctional centers in Virginia. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 30, 62–84.
Griffin, M. (2001). Job satisfaction among detention officers: Assessing the relative contribution of organizational climate variables. Journal of Criminal Justice, 29, 219–232.
Griffin, M. L., Hogan, N. L., Lambert, E. G., Tucker-Gail, K. A., & Baker, D. N. (2010). Job involvement, job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment and the burnout of correctional staff. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 37, 239–255.
Heller, D., Judge, T., & Watson, D. (2002). The confounding role of personality and trait affectivity in the relationship between job and life satisfaction. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23, 815–835.
Hu, Q., Schaufeli, W. B., & Taris, T. W. (2011). The job demands–resources model: An analysis of additive and joint effects of demands and resources. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79, 181–190.
Kincade, B. (2018). The economics of the American prison system. Retrieved from https://smartasset.com/mortgage/the-economics-of-the-american-prison-system.
Lambert, E. G. (2004). The impact of job characteristics on correctional staff members. Prison Journal, 84, 208–227.
Lambert, E., & Hogan, N. (2010). Wanting change: The relationship of perceptions of organizational innovation with correctional staff job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 21, 160–184.
Lambert, E. G., & Paoline, E. A. (2008). The influence of individual, job, and organizational characteristics on correctional staff job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Criminal Justice Review, 33, 541–564.
Lambert, E., Hogan, N. L., Barton, S., & Clarke, A. (2002). The impact of instrumental communication and integration on correctional staff. The Justice Professional, 15, 181–193.
Lambert, E. G., Hogan, N. L., Paoline, E. A., & Baker, D. N. (2005a). The good life: The impact of job satisfaction and occupational stressors on prison staff life satisfaction – An exploratory study. Journal of Crime and Justice, 28, 1–26.
Lambert, E., Hogan, N., Paoline, E., & Clarke, A. (2005b). The impact of role stressors on job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment among private prison staff. Security Journal, 18(4), 33–50.
Lambert, E., Paoline, E., & Hogan, N. (2006). The impact of centralization and formalization on correctional staff job satisfaction and organizational commitment: An exploratory study. Criminal Justice Studies, 19, 23–44.
Lambert, E., Hogan, N., & Jiang, S. (2008a). Exploring antecedents of the five types of commitment among correctional staff: It matters what you measure. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 19, 466–490.
Lambert, E. G., Hogan, N. L., Paoline, E. A., & Stevenson, M. (2008b). I want to know and I want to be part of it: The impact of instrumental communication and integration on private prison staff. Journal of Applied Security Research, 3, 205–229.
Lambert, E. G., Hogan, N. L., Moore, B., Tucker, K., Jenkins, M., Stevenson, M., & Jiang, S. (2009). The impact of the work environment on prison staff: The issue of consideration, structure, job variety, and training. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 34, 166–180.
Lambert, E., Kim, B., Kelley, T., & Hogan, N. (2013). The association of affective and continuance commitment with correctional staff life satisfaction. The Social Science Journal, 50, 195–203.
Lambert, E. G., Keena, L. D., May, D., Haynes, S. H., & Buckner, Z. (2017). To be committed or not: Examining effects of personal and workplace variables on the organizational commitment of Southern prison staff. Criminal Justice Studies, 30, 223–239.
Lambert, E. G., Minor, K. I., Gordon, J., Wells, J. B., & Hogan, N. L. (2018a). Exploring the correlates of perceived job dangerousness among correctional staff at a maximum security prison. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 29, 215–239.
Lambert, E. G., Worley, R. M., & Worley, V. B. (2018b). The effects of perceptions of staff-inmate boundary violations and willingness to follow rules on work stress. Security Journal, 31, 618–644.
Lambert, E. G., Leone, M., Hogan, N. L., Buckner, Z., Worley, R. M., & Worley, V. (forthcoming). To be committed or not: A systematic review of the empirical literature on organizational commitment among correctional staff. Criminal Justice Studies. Online first at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1478601X.2020.176208.
Minor, K. I., Wells, J. B., Angel, E., & Matz, A. K. (2011). Predictors of early job turnover among juvenile correctional facility staff. Criminal Justice Review, 36, 58–75.
Morgan, R. D., Van Haveren, R. A., & Pearson, C. A. (2002). Correctional officer burnout: Further analyses. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 29, 144–160.
Paoline, E. A., Lambert, E. G., Hogan, N. L., & Keena, L. D. (2018). The effects of the workplace on jail staff: The issue of perceptions of pay fairness. Corrections: Policy Practice, and Research, 3, 203–224.
Pavot, W., & Diener, E. (2008). The satisfaction with life scale and the emerging construct of life satisfaction. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 3, 137–152.
Quinn, R., & Staines, G. (1979). The 1977 quality of employment survey. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan.
Rhineberger-Dunn, G., & Mack, K. Y. (2019). Impact of workplace factors on role-related stressors and job stress among community corrections staff. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 30, 1204–1228.
Rice, R. (1984). Organizational work and the overall quality of life. Applied Social Psychology Annual, 5, 155–178.
Rice, R., Near, J., & Hunt, R. (1980). The job-satisfaction/life satisfaction relationship: A review of empirical research. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 1, 37–64.
Rizzo, J. R., House, R. J., & Lirtzman, S. I. (1970). Role conflict and ambiguity in complex organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 15, 150–163.
Schaufeli, W. B., & Taris, T. W. (2014). A critical review of the job demands-resources model: Implications for improving work and health. In G. Bauer & O. Hammig (Eds.), Bridging occupational, organizational and public health (pp. 43–68). Springer.
Streiner, D. L. (2003). Starting at the beginning: An introduction to coefficient alpha and internal consistency. Journal of Personality Assessment, 80, 99–103.
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6th ed.). . Pearson.
Tadić, M., Bakker, A. B., & Oerlemans, W. G. (2015). Challenge versus hindrance job demands and well-being: A diary study on the moderating role of job resources. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 88, 702–725.
Tatarkiewicz, W. (1976). Analysis of happiness. Martinus Nijhoff.
Terkel, S. (1974). Working. Pantheon Books.
Triplett, R., Mullings, J. L., & Scarborough, K. E. (1996). Work-related stress and coping among correctional officers: Implications from organizational literature. Journal of Criminal Justice, 24, 291–308.
Upadyaya, K., Vartiainen, M., & Salmela-Aro, K. (2016). From job demands and resources to work engagement, burnout, life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, and occupational health. Burnout Research, 3, 101–108.
Worley, R. M., Lambert, E. G., & Worley, V. B. (2019). I can’t get no satisfaction! An examination of correctional officers’ perceptions of staff-inmate boundary violations and willingness to follow institutional rules within the prison workplace. Deviant Behavior, 40, 1007–1019.
Worley, R. M., & Worley, V. B. (2011). Guards gone wild: A self report study of correctional officer misconduct and the effect of institutional deviance on “care” within the Texas Prison System. Deviant Behavior, 32, 293–319.
Worley, R. M., & Worley, V. B. (2013). Games guards play: A self-report study of institutional deviance within the Texas Prison System. Criminal Justice Studies, 26, 115–132.
Wright, T. A. (1993). Correctional employee turnover: A longitudinal study. Journal of Criminal Justice, 21, 131–142.
Zhao, X. R., Qu, H., & Ghiselli, R. (2011). Examining the relationship of work-family conflict to job and life satisfaction: A case of hotel sales managers. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 30, 46–54.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions, which improved the paper. The authors also thank Janet Lambert for proofreading this paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lambert, E.G., Hogan, N.L., Worley, R.M. et al. How the Workplace Plays a Role in a Good Life: Using the Job Demands-Resources Model in Predicting Correctional Staff Life Satisfaction. Am J Crim Just 47, 202–223 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-021-09621-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-021-09621-0