IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i16p8712-d616841.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Development and Implementation of a Total Worker Health ® Mentoring Program in a Correctional Workforce

Author

Listed:
  • Sara Namazi

    (Department of Health Sciences, Springfield College, Springfield, MA 01109, USA)

  • Rajashree Kotejoshyer

    (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA)

  • Dana Farr

    (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA)

  • Robert A. Henning

    (Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA)

  • Diana C. Tubbs

    (Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA)

  • Alicia G. Dugan

    (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA)

  • Mazen El Ghaziri

    (Susan and Alan Solomont School of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA)

  • Martin Cherniack

    (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA)

Abstract

Correctional officers (COs) are exposed to a number of occupational stressors, and their health declines early in their job tenure. Interventions designed to prevent early decline in CO health are limited. This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a one-year peer health mentoring program (HMP) guided by Total Worker Health ® principles and using a participatory action research to collectively address worker safety, health, and well-being of newly hired COs. The HMP aimed to provide new COs with emotional and tangible forms of support during their first year of employment, including peer coaching to prevent early decline in physical fitness and health. The development and implementation of the HMP occurred across five main steps: (1) participatory design focus groups with key stakeholders; (2) adaptation of an existing mentoring handbook and training methods; (3) development of mentor–mentee recruitment criteria and assignment; (4) designing assessment tools; and (5) the initiation of a mentor oversight committee consisting of union leadership, corrections management, and research staff. Correctional employee engagement in the design and implementation process proved to be efficacious in the implementation and adaptation of the program by staff. Support for the HMP remained high as program evaluation efforts continued.

Suggested Citation

  • Sara Namazi & Rajashree Kotejoshyer & Dana Farr & Robert A. Henning & Diana C. Tubbs & Alicia G. Dugan & Mazen El Ghaziri & Martin Cherniack, 2021. "Development and Implementation of a Total Worker Health ® Mentoring Program in a Correctional Workforce," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-13, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:16:p:8712-:d:616841
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/16/8712/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/16/8712/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cheek, Frances E. & Miller, Marie Di Stefano, 1983. "The experience of stress for correction officers: A double-bind theory of correctional stress," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 11(2), pages 105-120.
    2. Justina A. V. Fischer & Alfonso Sousa‐Poza, 2009. "Does job satisfaction improve the health of workers? New evidence using panel data and objective measures of health," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 18(1), pages 71-89, January.
    3. Rajashree Kotejoshyer & Declan O. Gilmer & Sara Namazi & Dana Farr & Robert A. Henning & Martin Cherniack, 2021. "Impact of a Total Worker Health ® Mentoring Program in a Correctional Workforce," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-21, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rajashree Kotejoshyer & Declan O. Gilmer & Sara Namazi & Dana Farr & Robert A. Henning & Martin Cherniack, 2021. "Impact of a Total Worker Health ® Mentoring Program in a Correctional Workforce," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-21, August.
    2. Sara L. Tamers & Jessica M. K. Streit & Casey Chosewood, 2022. "Promising Occupational Safety, Health, and Well-Being Approaches to Explore the Future of Work in the USA: An Editorial," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-7, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Troisi, Roberta & Nese, Annamaria, 2012. "Workers’ motivation: the italian case of cooperative credit banks," MPRA Paper 38025, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Clémentine Garrouste & Mathilde Godard, 2016. "The lasting health impact of leaving school in a bad economy : Britons in the 1970s recession," Post-Print hal-01408637, HAL.
    3. Martin Gächter & David A. Savage & Benno Torgler, 2009. "Retaining the Thin Blue Line: What Shapes Workers' Intentions not to Quit the Current Work Environment," Working Papers 2010-05, Faculty of Economics and Statistics, Universität Innsbruck, revised Mar 2010.
    4. Mei-Yen Chen, 2009. "Validation of the Wood’s Job Satisfaction Questionnaire among Taiwanese Nonprofit Sport Organization Workers," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 94(3), pages 437-447, December.
    5. repec:dau:papers:123456789/13646 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Eve Caroli & Mathilde Godard, 2013. "Does Job Insecurity Deteriorate Health ? A Causal Approach for Europe," Working Papers 2013-13, Center for Research in Economics and Statistics.
    7. Pouliakas, Konstantinos & Theodossiou, Ioannis, 2010. "An Inquiry into the Theory, Causes and Consequences of Monitoring Indicators of Health and Safety at Work," IZA Discussion Papers 4734, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Slate, Risdon N. & Vogel, Ronald E., 1997. "Participative management and correctional personnel: A study of the perceived atmosphere for participation in correctional decision making and its impact on employee stress and thoughts about quitting," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 397-408.
    9. Dirlam, Jonathan & Zheng, Hui, 2017. "Job satisfaction developmental trajectories and health: A life course perspective," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 95-103.
    10. Romina Gambacorta & Maria Iannario, 2013. "Measuring Job Satisfaction with CUB Models," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 27(2), pages 198-224, June.
    11. Nils Braakmann, 2014. "The consequences of own and spousal disability on labor market outcomes and subjective well-being: evidence from Germany," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 717-736, December.
    12. Vuyokazi Magungxu & Philani Moyo, 2014. "Prisoner-warder ratio parity in a South African Correctional Centre: Repercussions on prison work environment and correctional security personnel," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 6(5), pages 411-417.
    13. Damiano Fiorillo, 2016. "Workers’ health and social relations in Italy," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 43(5), pages 835-862, October.
    14. Lambert, Eric & Paoline III, Eugene A., 2010. "Take this job and shove it: An exploratory study of turnover intent among jail staff," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 139-148, March.
    15. Budría, Santiago, 2012. "The shadow value of employer-provided training," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 494-514.
    16. Romina Gambacorta & Maria Iannario, 2012. "Statistical models for measuring job satisfaction," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 852, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    17. Eric Defebvre, 2016. "Harder, better, faster... yet stronger? Working conditions and self-declaration of chronic diseases," TEPP Working Paper 2016-07, TEPP.
    18. Thomas Lechat & Olivier Torrès, 2017. "Stressors and satisfactors in entrepreneurial activity: an event-based, mixed methods study predicting small business owners' health," Post-Print hal-04012050, HAL.
    19. Justina A.V. Fischer & Benno Torgler, 2013. "Do Positional Concerns Destroy Social Capital: Evidence From 26 Countries," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 51(2), pages 1542-1565, April.
    20. Justina A.V. Fischer & Alfonso Sousa-Poza, 2010. "The Impact of Institutions on Firms’ Rejuvenation Policies: Early Retirement with Severance Pay versus Simple Lay-Off. A Cross-European Analysis," Working Papers 034, Chair for Economic Policy, University of Hamburg.
    21. Oh, Chang Hoon & Rugman, Alan M., 2012. "Regional integration and the international strategies of large European firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 493-507.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:16:p:8712-:d:616841. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.