The effect of work-family conflict on work stress and burnout: a study on correctional and protection officers

The aim of this study is to examine the levels of job stress, burnout, and work-family conflict among correctional officers, to determine whether these variables differ according to sociodemographic characteristics, and to investigate the effects of work-family conflict on job stress and burnout. This study employed a descriptive survey design, one of the quantitative research methods. The sample consisted of 278 correctional officers working at … Correctional Institution who voluntarily participated in the study. Data were collected using the Job Stress Scale, the Work-Family Conflict Scale, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The data were analyzed with SPSS 25.0 software using frequency and percentage distributions, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and factor analysis. The findings revealed that job stress was high among correctional officers. Work-family conflict was found to significantly increase both job stress and burnout levels. Participants reported that their jobs negatively affected their health, created constant tension, and caused them to continue thinking about work even during off-duty hours. Emotional exhaustion was the most prominent dimension of burnout, and a strong positive relationship was found between job stress and emotional exhaustion. Significant differences were observed in job stress and burnout levels according to education and age, while no significant differences were found in terms of gender or length of service. Factor analysis confirmed the high construct validity of the scales used.