IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i21p13993-d955135.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Organizational Factors and Their Impact on Mental Health in Public Safety Organizations

Author

Listed:
  • Megan Edgelow

    (School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada)

  • Emma Scholefield

    (School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada)

  • Matthew McPherson

    (School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada)

  • Kathleen Legassick

    (School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada)

  • Jessica Novecosky

    (School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada)

Abstract

Public safety personnel (PSP), including correctional officers, firefighters, paramedics, and police officers, have higher rates of mental health conditions than other types of workers. This scoping review maps the impact of organizational factors on PSP mental health, reviewing applicable English language primary studies from 2000–2021. JBI methodology for scoping reviews was followed. After screening, 97 primary studies remained for analysis. Police officers ( n = 48) were the most frequent population studied. Correctional officers ( n = 27) and paramedics ( n = 27) were the second most frequently identified population, followed by career firefighters ( n = 20). Lack of supervisor support was the most frequently cited negative organizational factor ( n = 23), followed by negative workplace culture ( n = 21), and lack of co-worker support ( n = 14). Co-worker support ( n = 10) was the most frequently identified positive organizational factor, followed by supervisor support ( n = 8) and positive workplace culture ( n = 5). This scoping review is the first to map organizational factors and their impact on PSP mental health across public safety organizations. The results of this review can inform discussions related to organizational factors, and their relationship to operational and personal factors, to assist in considering which factors are the most impactful on mental health, and which are most amenable to change.

Suggested Citation

  • Megan Edgelow & Emma Scholefield & Matthew McPherson & Kathleen Legassick & Jessica Novecosky, 2022. "Organizational Factors and Their Impact on Mental Health in Public Safety Organizations," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-34, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:21:p:13993-:d:955135
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/21/13993/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/21/13993/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ellison, Jared M. & Caudill, Jonathan W., 2020. "Working on local time: Testing the job-demand-control-support model of stress with jail officers," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    2. R. Nicholas Carleton & Tracie O. Afifi & Tamara Taillieu & Sarah Turner & Julia E. Mason & Rosemary Ricciardelli & Donald R. McCreary & Adam D. Vaughan & Gregory S. Anderson & Rachel L. Krakauer & Eli, 2020. "Assessing the Relative Impact of Diverse Stressors among Public Safety Personnel," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-25, February.
    3. Christine Genest & Rosemary Ricciardelli & R. Nicholas Carleton, 2021. "Correctional Work: Reflections Regarding Suicide," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-10, April.
    4. Rosemary Ricciardelli & Stephen Czarnuch & R. Nicholas Carleton & James Gacek & James Shewmake, 2020. "Canadian Public Safety Personnel and Occupational Stressors: How PSP Interpret Stressors on Duty," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-16, July.
    5. Christopher Robert Mark Werner-de-Sondberg & Maria Karanika-Murray & Thomas Baguley & Nicholas Blagden, 2021. "The Role of Organizational Culture and Climate for Well-Being among Police Custody Personnel: A Multilevel Examination," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-18, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Rosemary Ricciardelli & R. Nicholas Carleton & Barbara Anschuetz & Sylvio Gravel & Brad McKay, 2022. "Testifying after an Investigation: Shaping the Mental Health of Public Safety Personnel," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-8, October.
    2. Eileen Huang & Nicole E. Edgar & Sarah E. MacLean & Simon Hatcher, 2022. "Workplace Assessment Scale: Pilot Validation Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-15, September.
    3. Janine D. Beahm & Caeleigh A. Landry & Hugh C. McCall & R. Nicholas Carleton & Heather D. Hadjistavropoulos, 2022. "Understanding and Addressing Occupational Stressors in Internet-Delivered Therapy for Public Safety Personnel: A Qualitative Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-18, April.
    4. Katy Konyk & Rosemary Ricciardelli & Tamara Taillieu & Tracie O. Afifi & Dianne Groll & R. Nicholas Carleton, 2021. "Assessing Relative Stressors and Mental Disorders among Canadian Provincial Correctional Workers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-25, September.
    5. Andréanne Angehrn & Amber J. Fletcher & R. Nicholas Carleton, 2021. "“Suck It Up, Buttercup”: Understanding and Overcoming Gender Disparities in Policing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-16, July.
    6. Hugh McCall & Janine Beahm & Caeleigh Landry & Ziyin Huang & R. Nicholas Carleton & Heather Hadjistavropoulos, 2020. "How Have Public Safety Personnel Seeking Digital Mental Healthcare Been Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic? An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-11, December.
    7. Dolorosa L. Ponce & Dan Justin P. Bulahan & Jamaica R. Engnan & Gabriel R. Alcordo & Edmar C. Daniel & Jose F. Cuevas Jr., 2023. "Issues and Concerns of the Jail Officers in Dealing with Persons Deprived of Liberty: A Phenomenological Study," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 7(6), pages 197-204, June.
    8. Justin Mausz & Elizabeth Anne Donnelly & Sandra Moll & Sheila Harms & Meghan McConnell, 2022. "Mental Disorder Symptoms and the Relationship with Resilience among Paramedics in a Single Canadian Site," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-14, April.
    9. Cristiane S. C. Araújo & Ruth Minamisava & Marcos A. Matos & Camila C. F. Vieira & Priscila V. O. Vitorino & Dolors Rodríguez-Martín & Neuma Chaveiro & Lizete M. A. C. Oliveira & Virginia V. Brasil & , 2020. "Associated Factors of Quality of Life in Prison Officers, Brazil," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-12, May.
    10. Robyn E. Shields & Stephanie Korol & R. Nicholas Carleton & Megan McElheran & Andrea M. Stelnicki & Dianne Groll & Gregory S. Anderson, 2021. "Brief Mental Health Disorder Screening Questionnaires and Use with Public Safety Personnel: A Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-30, April.
    11. Ayşegül Karaca-Atik & Marjan J. Gorgievski & Marieke Meeuwisse & Guus Smeets, 2024. "Possessing 21st-Century Skills and Building Sustainable Careers: Early-Career Social Sciences Graduates’ Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-21, April.
    12. Heidi Cramm & Rachel Richmond & Laleh Jamshidi & Megan Edgelow & Dianne Groll & Rose Ricciardelli & Joy Christine MacDermid & Michael Keiley & R. Nicholas Carleton, 2021. "Mental Health of Canadian Firefighters: The Impact of Sleep," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-14, December.
    13. Gregory S. Anderson & Rosemary Ricciardelli & Linna Tam-Seto & Sulaimon Giwa & R. Nicholas Carleton, 2022. "Self-Reported Coping Strategies for Managing Work-Related Stress among Public Safety Personnel," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-14, February.
    14. Ellison, Jared M. & Cain, Calli M. & Jaegers, Lisa A., 2022. "Just another day's work: The nexus between workplace experiences and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in jail settings," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    15. Rosemary Ricciardelli & Stephen Czarnuch & R. Nicholas Carleton & James Gacek & James Shewmake, 2020. "Canadian Public Safety Personnel and Occupational Stressors: How PSP Interpret Stressors on Duty," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-16, July.
    16. Andrea M. Stelnicki & Laleh Jamshidi & Tamara L. Taillieu & R. Nicholas Carleton & Tracie O. Afifi, 2022. "Mental Health and Well-Being among Children of Public Safety Personnel in Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-11, October.
    17. Jill A. B. Price & Adeyemi O. Ogunade & Amber J. Fletcher & Rosemary Ricciardelli & Gregory S. Anderson & Heidi Cramm & R. Nicholas Carleton, 2022. "Peer Support for Public Safety Personnel in Canada: Towards a Typology," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-11, April.
    18. Katie L. Andrews & Laleh Jamshidi & Jolan Nisbet & Taylor A. Teckchandani & Jill A. B. Price & Rosemary Ricciardelli & Gregory S. Anderson & R. Nicholas Carleton, 2022. "Mental Health Training, Attitudes toward Support, and Screening Positive for Mental Disorders among Canadian Coast Guard and Conservation and Protection Officers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-16, November.
    19. Liana Lentz & Lorraine Smith-MacDonald & David C. Malloy & Gregory S. Anderson & Shadi Beshai & Rosemary Ricciardelli & Suzette Bremault-Phillips & R. Nicholas Carleton, 2022. "A Qualitative Analysis of the Mental Health Training and Educational Needs of Firefighters, Paramedics, and Public Safety Communicators in Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-19, June.
    20. Caeleigh A. Landry & Janine D. Beahm & Hugh C. McCall & Heather D. Hadjistavropoulos, 2023. "Sustaining and Expanding Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (ICBT) for Public Safety Personnel across Canada: A Survey of Stakeholder Perspectives," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(8), pages 1-16, April.

    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:19:y:2022:i:21:p:13993-:d:955135. 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.