Purpose: This study investigated the experiences of job stress adaptation process with correctional officers. The research question was,“How do correctional officers adjust to their job stress?”
Methods: The grounded theory methodology was used to study 14 participants who have worked for more than 15 years in correctional facilities such as lockup and prisons. Data were collected from May 2017 to August 2017 in depth interviews; the data collection and analysis were simultaneously performed. The qualitative data from transcription and copying was analyzed through the steps of open coding, axis coding, selective coding and pattern analysis according to Strauss and Corbin(1998).
Results: The results found 98 concepts, 27 subcategories, and 10 categories from open coding. The properties and dimensions were extracted from the 10 categories. Each category showed that the causal conditions were “job pressure,” a central phenomenon of “repeated quenching,”and a contextual condition was“poor correctional environment.” Action/interaction strategies to control such phenomenon were“holding up,”“learning how to manage acceptance,” and “raising up again.” The conciliatory condition that encourages and suppresses such interaction strategies was “Individual internal resources” and “having social support” while the results of action/interaction were “life to drag by the now status” and “life to born again by quenching.” These results suggested sixteen hypothetical relationship statements. Subjects from analysis of the process based on time are categorized by the effort-conquest and resignation?adaption type. The results demonstrated that the main category for job stress adaptation process with correctional officers was “endurance in quenching.” “Endurance in quenching” consisted of three levels: “ holding up,”“earning how to manage acceptance,” and ”raising up again.“ “Endurance in quenching“ means that correctional officers are living a life with born again by quenching and life to drag by the now status that the effort to escape ”repetitive quenching“ throughout action/interaction is the ”holding up“, "learning to manage acceptance", and "raising up again". The meaning for "repetitive quenching" is an oppressive feeling by friction with prisoners, distress by members'' dissonance, dissatisfaction by irrational business handling, and discomfort by physical and psychological pain.
Conclusion: The steps suggested by the results of this study will provide a foundation for developing nursing intervention methods at each level of the adjustment process.