Predictors of Job Stress and Satisfaction Among Correctional Officers in Trinidad and Tobago

Publication Date

1-1-2026

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Journal of Crime and Justice

DOI

10.1080/0735648X.2026.2669083

Abstract

Most research on job stress and satisfaction among correctional staff has been conducted in large, developed nations. However, developing nations often have unique characteristics that influence workplace attitudes, including job satisfaction. Correctional staff in these contexts may face distinct stressors–such as safety concerns and institutional resource constraints–that shape both stress and satisfaction. This study examines predictors of stress and satisfaction, testing a mediational model to assess how stress influences satisfaction among prison officers in Trinidad and Tobago, a Caribbean nation that has experienced increased levels of violence over the past 25 years. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we analyze survey data from more than 2,000 officers. Findings reveal that multiple organizational and job-related factors shape stress and satisfaction, and that stress partially or fully mediates certain effects on satisfaction. These findings contribute to the literature on correctional officer stress and satisfaction by providing large-sample evidence from a Global South context, with theoretical and practical implications for improving correctional staff well-being.

Keywords

corrections, Job satisfaction, job stress, prisons

Department

Justice Studies

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