Introduction

The Brazilian prison system is in crisis as a result of overcrowding, gang conflicts, drug trafficking within units and riots that involve serious violence¹. Prison officers (POs) find themselves in the midst of this situation and suffer the consequences of these problems on a daily basis.

POs are responsible for the internal security of prisons, a role which encompasses the discipline and security of prisoners. Among the tasks they carry out are the inspection of prisoners and visitors, the opening and closing of prison cells, making periodic rounds, providing discipline during prisoners’ meals and checking the cleanliness and hygiene of the cells².

Daily and continuous coexistence in prisons leads to POs being exposed to physical, psychological, and social consequences³. Thus, this study was undertaken in the prison working environment, where POs are exposed to dangerous and stressful conditions. It is anticipated that the results obtained may encourage actions that have an impact on the working conditions of POs, and have a positive effect on their health. The study therefore sought to explore the possible relationships between working and health conditions of POs at the Penitenciária Estadual de Francisco Beltrão (the Francisco Beltrão State Prison) in the state of Paraná, Brazil.

Material and Method

A cross-sectional epidemiological study was carried out with POs in a prison administered by the state of Paraná. The target population were POs who worked in a unit that serves around 1,200 male-only detainees. The title POs refers to security and disciplinary workers in penal and prison hospital units, irrespective of the functions they perform or the positions in which they work. At the time of data collection, there were around 200 POs in the penitentiary.

To select the sample of respondents, a stratified proportional random sample was used. The minimum size for the sample was calculated based on a degree of absolute precision of 5%, a confidence level of 95%, and an expected prevalence of 50%, resulting in a total of 132 respondents, plus 10% for losses and refusals, resulting in a total of 145 POs. The survey involved workers officially classified as POs by the Department of Justice.

Those on maternity leave, recovering from cosmetic surgery or sequelae from a car accident not related to work, as well as those on leave for a year or more and who had worked as POs for less than five years were not included in the investigation. Moreover, for those who had less than 10 years of experience, the study did not include those on leave for two years¹. All the other POs were considered eligible and were invited to take part in the research.

Results

A total of 132 POs participated in the study, with seven losses and refusals, totaling 125 respondents. As the Paraná State Penitentiary serves the male prison population, only 8% of respondents (n=10) were female. The characterization of the sample is shown in Table 1. It can be seen that the highest prevalence (%) of POs had completed higher education, were married, had worked in the role for 1 to 7 years, and had a workload of up to 40 hours, with time for physical activity and leisure.

Table 2 shows the prevalence of the outcomes assessed. It is noteworthy that 30.4% of POs had MPD, 17.9% persistent stress, 66.4% up to five health-related complaints and 9.6% presented with risk of alcohol abuse and/or dependence.

Tables 3 to 4 show the results of the regression analyzes with the differing outcomes. In the MPD outcome, health problems, physical environment and organizational risks were identified as associated factors. In the persistent stress outcome, after adjustment for regression, factors associated with age, health problems and organizational risks remained. Using the outcome of health complaints, the associated factors were health problems and the physical environment. In the case of the outcome of alcoholism, after multivariate adjustment, no variable showed statistical significance.

Discussion

The objective of this research was to identify the associations between the working and health conditions of POs. Research into the illnesses of these workers remains scarce, despite being important for the development of public policies and the planning of health care services⁹.

The prevalence of MPD was found to be similar to the study by Fernandes et al.¹, which found a 30.7% prevalence of MPD in POs surveyed in the metropolitan region of Salvador, in the state of Bahia, but was higher than the 23% prevalence among police officers in the metropolitan region of Florianópolis, in the state of Santa Catarina¹⁰.

In Brazilian studies, the prevalence of MPD in the general population varies between 17% and 35%¹¹. In a survey carried out in the United Kingdom, a group of occupations was found to have a high rate of common mental disorders, including teachers, bar workers and nursing assistants. It was noted that these categories of labor may involve a certain degree of unpredictability in how clients or customers might behave towards the worker¹².

It was noted that there was a relationship between MPD and health problems, physical environment and organizational risks. In a systematic review that included studies of emergency service attendants and dispatchers, it was observed that shift work can lead to lack of physical activity, malnutrition and obesity; while in the context of work environment, outdated, ergonomically ill-adjusted equipment and physically confined and isolated workspaces can lead to physical injuries. The same study found that being exposed to verbally aggressive callers and a lack of leadership support was an additional source of stress¹³.

One notable finding of the present study was the high rate of POs who practiced sports (76.8%), while 87.2% claimed to have time for leisure. This factor may have contributed to the percentages of MPD not rising further.

Complaints of illness were made by 93.6% of prison officers, with 66.4% registering up to five complaints and 27.2% more than five complaints. In a study of the health conditions of socio-educational agents, 62.8% mentioned using some type of medication, while when asked about the need for medical and psychological care in the last year, 79.6% and 35.5%, respectively, answered affirmatively¹⁴. In a survey carried out in Ireland, meanwhile, there seemed to be a predominance of chronic pain in POs, associated with both physical and psychological impairment¹⁵.

Persistent stress was related to older age, health problems and organizational risks. A study carried out in prisons in the USA found that when work environments were more disorderly or there was less control over work activities, levels of stress increased; in contrast, when the environment was free from violations of rules and problems with prisoners, or when POs had more control and autonomy, and support from colleagues and supervisors, stress levels were lower¹⁶.

A recent large-scale investigation also emphasized that exposure to violence and the victimisation of POs, both inside and outside jails, significantly contribute to psychopathologies such as post-traumatic stress disorder¹⁷. The exposure of workers to stressors might be mitigated when healthy habits are part of daily life, both in work and family environments. For instance, in a study carried out with Mexican police officers, the results showed that physical and leisure activities play an important role in reducing negative emotions and promoting the well-being of police officers¹⁸.

The prevalence of alcohol consumption was 68%, while 9.6% of those surveyed ran a risk of alcohol abuse and/or dependence. A national study of career firefighters in the USA indicated that more than 85% of the sample drank alcohol, and approximately one-third reported periodic heavy drinking while not at work (i.e., five or more drinks in one occasion)¹⁹.

In this study, there was an association between alcohol use and health problems, but there was no association with age or the physical, ergonomic, or organizational environment. In a cohort study carried out in the UK among soldiers suffering from stress, emotional or mental health problems, those who drank to deal with symptoms of mental disorders or social pressure, in addition to those who drank at home or alone, had a greater probability of also drinking to excess²⁰. More recently, data gathered from correctional officers in the US reinforced the idea that the occupational environment of these workers might lead to maladaptive behaviors such as substance abuse, although lower levels of occupational distress can mediate these links, thus leading to less negative outcomes while also highlighting the unique importance of having specific policies that set out to attenuate occupational stressors²¹.

The reports of health problems and the use of medication, including tranquilizers, by the POs, and the association of these problems with the physical environment, led to reflections on factors that may be related to working conditions and psychological well-being. Literature reveals that the category of POs has been identified as stressful, involving risks to the lives of such workers and the need for intense and permanent emotional control²².

This article sought to identify possible relationships between working conditions and health outcomes of POs. We found that organizational and physical environment were related to stress and health complaints. While confounding factors might have influenced the results (i.e., family and other factors outside prisons), the collected data have important implications for policy makers and professionals responsible for POs’ physical and mental wellbeing. Nonetheless, there are some limitations that should also be considered, such as the cross-sectional nature of the work that does not allow us to understand casual links between the variables examined.

By way of summary, the results demonstrate a population that is marginalized from health care by public policies. The work environment, associated with organizational and structural issues, influence the response to stress, especially persistent stress, which requires constant adjustments in personal and structural relationships from such workers when performing their working functions. The indication of health problems was present in all the outcomes analyzed, except for alcoholism, demonstrating that the origins of such problems are most likely to be found in the complaint itself and the organizational structure of personal relationships, which include relationships with the detainee, colleagues and supervisors. Excessive distress, anxiety and dissatisfaction with working conditions can contribute to psychopathological manifestations such as minor psychiatric disorders. The results demonstrate the precarious nature of the work of POs, demonstrating the importance of future studies aimed at assessing whether this is a particular reality of the investigated unit, or whether these results are common to other POs’ working environments.