The Impact of Role Stressors on Job Stress, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment among Private Prison Staff

Abstract

Work can be stressful. The most common work-related stressors are the role stressors, which include role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload, and dangerousness. All have received attention in the correctional job stress literature. The vast majority of this research has examined the impact of these role stressors on job stress and job satisfaction. Little, if any, research has examined the impact of these stressors on correctional staffs' organizational commitment. Moreover, despite a growing body of literature, the influence of role stressors on private prison staff has rarely been examined. In filling this research void, the following study examines the impact of role stressors on job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment among staff at a Midwestern private prison. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models showed that all four role stressors had statistically significant effects on job stress. Role conflict, role ambiguity, and role overload each had a significant impact on job satisfaction, while role conflict and role ambiguity had significant effects on the organizational commitment of private prison staff. This article concludes with the implications of these findings for correctional research and practice.