Associations between Perceived Occupational Prestige and Psychological Symptoms in Correctional Supervisors.

Objective: Low occupational prestige -- societal perceptions that certain jobs and workers are of low social status -- may affect correctional worker well-being. We hypothesized that: (1) low prestige is associated with psychological symptoms, and (2) the association is mediated by stress.

Methods: Correctional supervisors (n = 168) completed a survey with measures of occupational prestige, psychological symptoms, work context, and sociodemographic information. Direct and indirect effects were tested using standard multiple regression.

Results: The sample consisted primarily of males (74%) who were married or partnered (72%) with a mean age of 42.5 (SD = 6.4). Direct and indirect (through stress) relationships were observed between low occupational prestige and psychological symptoms.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that corrections workers perceive lower occupational prestige to be a work-related stressor with implications for psychological well-being. Future longitudinal studies may establish causality among variables.