The harmed helpers: Investigating the traumatic experiences of prison staff and mental health professionals

Thesis Abstract:

The two chapters of this thesis are separate. A shortened abstract has therefore been included as an overview for both chapters. Expanded abstracts are presented for each chapter.

Literature Review:

A systematic review was undertaken to understand the prevalence and impacts of stalking on mental health professionals and the methods they used to cope with these experiences. Of the 7060 papers identified in 5 databases, 11 papers were deemed to meet inclusion criteria. Prevalence rates were estimated between 10.2% and 50% across the included studies, with higher quality papers reporting prevalence rates of 13.9% and 14.3% respectively. Participants reported being stalked by perpetrators other than clients, notably colleagues and intimate partners as or more frequently than by clients, despite previous research focusing on the latter. Strategies to cope with the impacts of stalking include both workplace and lifestyle changes, indicating a pervasive impact on healthcare professionals’ lives. Limitations of the included research and future directions are discussed.

Empirical Report:

This study aims to replicate James and Todak’s (2018) study in UK prison establishments to understand the rate of post-traumatic stress reactions in a sample of UK prison staff and the impact of exposure to critical incidents and work environment factors on post-traumatic stress reactions. A total of 134 participants were asked to complete an online survey containing a measure of post-traumatic stress (PCL-5), Critical incident exposure (CIHQ-C) and of work environment (WEI). The rate of post-traumatic reaction in the sample was measured as 40.31% and 45.7% respectively. The cumulative impact of exposure to critical incidents was significantly positively correlated with PCL-5 scores, as well as the number of distinct types of trauma. A factor analysis of the work environment inventory revealed two factor subscales, both of which were positively correlated with PCL-5 scores, indicating greater dissatisfaction is associated with higher traumatic reaction. Findings are consistent with that of James and Todak’s original US paper; work environment factors and exposure to critical incidents both predict post-traumatic stress reactions in UK prison staff. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.