How Correctional Officers Experience Inmates Suicidal Behavior? – Qualitative Research and Development of The Model of a House

• Author: Vita Poštuvan,Meta Lavrič,Nuša Zadravec Šedivy
• Published date: 01 January 2022
• Date: 01 January 2022
• DOI: 10.1177/00328855211069302
• Subject Matter: Articles

How Correctional

Off‌icers Experience

Inmates Suicidal

Behavior? –Qualitative

Research and

Development of The

Model of a House

Meta Lavricˇ,

Nuša Zadravec Šedivy,

and Vita Poštuvan

Abstract

As f‌irst responders in prisons, correctional off‌icers are more exposed to sui-

cides than the general population. The aim of the study was to explore how

they experience the suicidal behavior of inmates and how they cope with

potential psychological consequences of these experiences. We conducted

interviews with 11 male correctional off‌icers working in 12-h shifts, and ana-

lysed the data using a grounded theory approach. Results were conceptualised

in The Model of a House, which consists of f‌ive parts representing different

aspects of the experience. The model provides an overall understanding of

how correctional off‌icers experience the suicidal behavior of inmates.

Keywords

correctional off‌icers, f‌irst responders, suicidal behavior, inmates, grounded

theory

University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia

Corresponding Author:

Nuša Zadravec Šedivy, Andrej MarušsicˇInstitute, University of Primorska, Muzejski trg 2,

SI-6000 Koper, Slovenia.

Email: nasa.sedivy@iam.upr.si

Article

The Prison Journal

2022, Vol. 102(1) 64–83

© 2022 SAGE Publications

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/00328855211069302

journals.sagepub.com/home/tpj

Introduction

Inmates are at high risk of suicide (Marzano et al., 2016). In Slovenia, suicides

in prisons are about f‌ive times more common than in the general population.

The average suicide rate in the general population in Slovenia is 20.9 (per

100,000 persons per year, average from 2011 to 2015) (National Institute

of Public Health, 2020), while the suicide rate in prisons in Slovenia is

115.4 (per 100,000 persons per year, average from 2011 to 2015) (Aebi &

Delgrande, 2014; 2015; Aebi, Tiago,& Burkhardt, 2015; 2016; Aebi,

Tiago, & Berger-Kolopp, 2017).

Consequently, correctional off‌icers are more exposed to suicides than the

general population, especially those working in 12-h shifts and in prisons at

night and on weekends. Furthermore, they play a crucial role in preventing

suicides, forming the f‌irst “battle line”as gatekeepers in preventing suicides

(WHO, 2007).In order to prevent suicides, there is a need to train correctional

off‌icers so that they are better able to recognise and prevent suicidal behavior

(While et al., 2012), while, at the same time, attend to their well-being. For

example, psychiatric hospitals with low turnover of non-medical staff have

lower suicide rates than those where staff changes frequently (Appleby,

Hunt, &Kapur, 2017).

In addition, correctional off‌icers may be considered suicide survivors if

they had developed a relationship with a deceased person, or secondary sur-

vivors if they witnessed a suicide or found a body but did not know the

deceased. Secondary survivors also have a high risk of developing anxiety,

depression, or symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), even if

they had no emotional connection to the person who died of suicide

(Poštuvan, 2014). Research shows thatlevels of PTSD and depression

notably exceed the levels of the general population (Denhof & Spinaris,

2013), with PTSD being particularly expressed. In a studyby Jaegers et al.

(2019), the prevalence of PTSD among correctional off‌icers was 53.4%.

Similarly, the study by James and Todak (2018) reported that prison employ-

ees have a PTSD rate equivalent to war veterans and higher than police

off‌icers.

The aim of our research was to explore how correctional off‌icers experi-

ence inmates’suicidal behavior and how they cope with potential psycholog-

ical consequences of these experiences.

Method

The study was conducted in accordance with a qualitative research design,

applying the principles of grounded theory. For reporting results, we have

Lavricˇet al. 65