title: The association between work-related characteristic and job burnout among Chinese correctional officers: a cross-sectional survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It is well known that job burnout is a major problem for many professions. Correctional officers, the most important driving force in correctional facilities, deal with unwilling and potentially violent populations, and this may lead to burnout. However, in China, few studies are available regarding burnout among correctional officers and associations with work-related factors. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of work characteristics on job burnout among Chinese correctional officers in public prisons.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was performed in March/April 2011. The study population comprised 2185 correctional officers working in four prisons in a province in north-east China. A questionnaire that examined job burnout [three subscales: emotional exhaustion (EE), cynicism (CY) and professional efficacy (PE)], work conditions, occupational stress and demographic factors was distributed to these correctional officers. In total, 1769 responses were received (response rate 81%). Multiple logistic regression was used to explore the factors related to burnout.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean (±standard deviation) scores were 10.59 ± 7.51 for EE, 9.65 ± 6.56 for CY and 23.90 ± 9.39 for PE. Strong extrinsic effort and reward were the most powerful predictors of job burnout; an imbalance between effort and reward at work and perceived threat was mainly associated with EE and CY, and strong overcommitment was mainly associated with EE and PE.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chinese correctional officers experience a slightly higher level of job burnout, and this is affected by work-related stress. It is important to reduce occupational stress in correctional officers and improve disadvantageous work conditions in order to reduce burnout in this population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: hushu888@163.com.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: jiana0818@163.com.
authors.forename: J-N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: liul@mail.cmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: wuhui@mail.cmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: yangxs@mail.cmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: allylove666@yahoo.com.cn.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: liewang@mail.cmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011330:Prisons; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014937:Work / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: COs; Job burnout; Occupational stress; Work condition