Psychological well-being and resilience experiences of educators teaching in juvenile correctional facilities: a scoping review

TL;DR

This review explores the psychological well-being and resilience of educators in juvenile correctional facilities, highlighting the challenges they face and how they cope.

Contribution

The study provides a synthesized overview of educators' psychological experiences in juvenile correctional settings, emphasizing resilience and coping mechanisms.

Findings

Educators in correctional settings face significant challenges that impact their psychological well-being.

Resilience among educators is supported by personal and social resources despite adverse conditions.

Most studies reviewed were conducted in the United States, suggesting a need for global research.

Abstract

Education is widely acknowledged as a cornerstone of rehabilitation for incarcerated youth. However, less attention has been paid to the specific realities faced by the educators who deliver it. These educators often operate under intense stress, experiencing burnout and emotional exhaustion while managing the complex and multifaceted needs of their students. This scoping review seeks to examine and synthesize psychological well-being and resilience experiences of educators working within juvenile correctional facilities.

Our methodology was informed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Manual for Evidence Synthesis. Relevant literature was sourced primarily from; ERIC, PsycINFO, Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text, Academic Search Complete, JSTOR, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science. The studies span an unspecified publication period and a systematic process guided the identification, selection, data extraction, and synthesis of findings.

This review examined a total of eight studies, comprising of seven empirical investigations and one conceptual paper. Notably, six out of the seven empirical studies were undertaken within the United States context. Four themes emerged from this review; challenges of teaching in correctional settings, psychological wellbeing, coping mechanisms, and resilience.

Educators in juvenile correctional settings work in environments fraught with numerous and complex challenges which adversely affect their psychological wellbeing. Despite these adversities, many educators demonstrated notable resilience cultivated through personal and social resources. Future studies should be conducted in low and middle income countries to better understand global variations and support systems.

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