Exploring how Canadian Correctional Workers Understand their Adverse Childhood Experiences

Quantitative research indicates public safety personnel, and correctional workers in particular, report a higher prevalence of exposure to abuse in childhood than the general population in Canada. Yet, little is known qualitatively about adverse childhood experiences among correctional workers. Framed by life course theory, in the current study, we explore how correctional worker childhood experiences inform their interpretations of work, life, and mental health. Open-ended survey data were collected from the Correctional Worker Mental Health and Well-being Study (n = 135), which surveyed correctional worker experiences across several Canadian provinces and territories. Qualitative findings reveal many participants were troubled by and judgmental of the abuse they suffered in the home, while others conceptualized the corporal punishment they received as 'deserving' and 'beneficial', especially when such behaviour was couched in past generational differences. We conclude with considerations for future research and possible interventions that could encourage correctional workers to process and cope better with adverse childhood experiences.