Grant: Catalyst Grant: PTSI among PSP workers

Correctional work is challenging, stressful, and sometimes traumatic, so researchers have tried to understand what makes a correctional officers (COs) likely to develop psychological disorders. So far, nobody has considered if COs feel prepared for their job challenges when they are first hired. With the support of Correctional Services Canada, the employer of COs, we propose identifying correctional officer recruits (CORs) mental health status, coping skills, views, and experiences when they are first hired. We will then use our findings to start a five-year study, where we will see if we can identify CORs that develop mental disorders, and what may have helped prevent it. Hopefully, our study can help improve COR training to protect future COs. We have a diverse research team from many backgrounds allowing us to use a variety of tools to holistically understand the mental health and experiences of CORs. This will let us speak directly to approximately 35 CORs (one training group) through face-to-face interviews to hear their views and let us use clinical assessments. Then, we can connect all the information we collect to understand how prepared CORs feel for their occupational entry. This information will help us understand what CORs need to be better prepared for a job that exposes them to trauma and adversity. The proposed project also represents a central priority of the Public Safety Stakeholder Committee (PSSC) of the Canadian Institute of Public Safety Research and Treatment. Our study will help frame the needs of COs before and during their jobs in corrections-and generate training to support COs mental health resiliency.