The Sources and Extent of Public Defender Occupational Stress

• Main Author: Welch, Teresa Lynn
• Language: EN
• Published: Nova Southeastern University 2018
• Subjects: Law|Occupational psychology|Criminology
• Online Access: http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10824847

<p> Utah public defenders (<i>n</i> = 96) completed a survey tool that provided data on their sources and extent of occupational stress. The data also indicated any differences in job-stressors scores, perceived stress scores, and occupational burnout scores when comparing public defenders by their demographic factors. Having too many cases is the most stressful of 35 job stressors and is moderately more stressful for female public defenders than for male public defenders, <i>t</i>(94) = &ndash;2.98, <i> p</i> = .004, <i>d</i> = .67. The most stressful of six job-stressor categories is structural/systemic, followed closely by prosecutors. </p><p> The PSS-10 indicated that a total of 74% of the Utah public defenders perceive themselves as having moderate or high perceived stress. In addition, female public defenders perceive themselves as experiencing more stress than do the male public defenders, <i>t</i>(94) = &ndash;3.53, <i> p</i> = .001, <i>d</i> = .80. ANOVA and Games-Howell post hoc indicated that public defenders aged 60 years or older experience minimally less perceived stress than do public defenders ages 30&ndash;39 and 50&ndash;59 years old, <i>F</i>(4,18.64) = 4.748, <i>p</i> = .008, &eta;²<i>_p</i> = .104. The MBI-HSS indicated that Utah public defenders are experiencing moderate (inching towards higher) levels of occupational burnout. ANOVA and Tukey post hoc indicated that public defenders age 60 years or older experience minimally less emotional exhaustion than are public defenders ages 30&ndash;39 and 50&ndash;59 years old, <i> F</i>(4, 91) = 2.833, <i>p</i> = .029, &eta;²<i>_p</i> = .111.</p><p>