Psychological distress in UK prison workers: the role of organisational justice and social climate

Prison workers are vulnerable to various forms of work-related distress. In order to develop appropriate interventions, it is vital to identify the predictors of work-related distress. This thesis aimed to understand the organizational-level factors contributing to work-related distress in prison workers.

Systematic Literature Review:

The systematic literature review explored the organizational factors that predict work-related distress among prison workers. A search of relevant databases identified 13 articles deemed relevant to the research question. Articles explored various forms of work-related distress including stress, burnout, and general psychological distress, as well as examining the predictive value of a range of organizational factors. Notable predictive factors included job demands, job control, role ambiguity and aspects of organizational structure. The findings are discussed, and implications for future research and practice are considered.

Empirical Report:

This study examined the prevalence rates of psychological distress among UK prison workers measured by the DASS-21, as well as exploring the ability of organizational justice and social climate to predict psychological distress. The Job Demands Resources Model is used as a theoretical framework. Participants completed self-report measures within an online survey, and results indicated particularly high prevalence rates of psychological distress. Organizational justice emerged as a predictor of psychological distress, whereas social climate demonstrated no predictive value. Organizational justice, but not social climate, can be considered as a potential job resource for UK prison workers, and the implications for future research and interventions is discussed.