The Mediating Role of Emotional Regulation on the Relationship between Mindfulness and Aggression among Correctional Officers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69569/jip.2025.540Keywords:
Aggression, Correctional officers, Emotional regulation, MindfulnessAbstract
The study employs a quantitative approach to investigate the relationship between mindfulness and aggression, with emotional regulation as the mediating variable, among correctional officers. The researchers recruited 268 officers from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) and Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) through a purposive sampling technique. Self-report instruments, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ-15), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale Short Form (DERS-SF), and Brief Aggression Questionnaire (BAQ), were used to assess mindfulness, emotional regulation, and aggression levels. A mediation model was employed to analyse the data. Results indicated a significant indirect effect of mindfulness on aggression, mediated by emotional regulation (estimate = -0.406, p < .001, β = -0.2142). Specifically, higher levels of mindfulness were associated with lower levels of difficulty in emotion regulation (estimate = -0.899, p < .001, β = -0.4621). In turn, higher levels of difficulties in emotional regulation were associated with higher levels of aggression (estimate = 0.452, p < .001, β = 0.4636). In light of the study, the researchers recommend that correctional facilities collaborate with psychologists and criminologists to develop and implement mindfulness and emotional regulation programs tailored to the specific needs of correctional officers. Future researchers should focus on validating assessment tools for use with correctional officers and conducting longitudinal studies to evaluate the long-term impact of these programs. Additionally, employing mixed-method designs can further clarify the relationship between variables.
Downloads
References
Aborisade, R. A., & Gbahabo, D. D. (2021). Policing the lockdown: Accounts of police officers’ aggression and extortion of frontline health workers in Nigeria. Policing & Society, 31(5), 565–582. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2021.1903461
Aborisade, R. A., & Obileye, A. A. (2017). Systematic brutality, torture, and abuse of human rights by the Nigerian police: Narratives of inmates in Ogun State prisons. The Nigerian Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, 15(1), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.36108/njsa
Aini, D. K., Stück, M., Sessiani, L. A., & Darmuin, D. (2021). How do they deal with the pandemic? The effect of secure attachment and mindfulness on adolescent resilience. Psikohumaniora, 6(1), 103–116. https://doi.org/10.21580/pjpp.v6i1.6857
Akbarpour, F., Bahramadi, M. Z., Davaei, M., & Hassani, F. (2020). Comparing the efficacy of mindfulness-based group training and emotion regulation skills in externalizing syndromes in adolescents with a tendency for risky behaviors. Avicenna Journal of Neuro Psycho Physiology, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.32592/ajnpp.2021.8.3.102
Akinlabi, O. M. (2016). Do the police really protect and serve the public? Police deviance and public cynicism towards the law in Nigeria. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 17(2), 158–174. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895816659906
Ali, P., & Younas, A. (2021). Understanding and interpreting regression analysis. Evidence-Based Nursing, 24(4), 116–118. https://doi.org/10.1136/ebnurs-2021-103425
Baer, R. A., Carmody, J., & Hunsinger, M. (2012). Weekly change in mindfulness and perceived stress in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 68(7), 755–765. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.21865
Baer, R. A., Crane, C., Miller, E. D., & Kuyken, W. (2019). Doing no harm in mindfulness-based programs: Conceptual issues and empirical findings. Clinical Psychology Review, 71, 101–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2019.01.001
Berkowitz, L. (2012). A cognitive-neoassociation theory of aggression. In SAGE Publications Ltd. eBooks (pp. 99–118). https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446249222.n31
Bridges, L. J., Denham, S. A., & Ganiban, J. M. (2004). Definitional issues in emotion regulation research. Child Development, 75(2), 340–345. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3696640
Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 822–848. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.822
Bushman, B. J., & Baumeister, R. F. (1998). Threatened egotism, narcissism, self-esteem, and direct and displaced aggression: Does self-love or self-hate lead to violence? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(1), 219–229. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.75.1.219
Carsley, D., Khoury, B., & Heath, N. L. (2017). Effectiveness of mindfulness interventions for mental health in schools: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Mindfulness, 9(3), 693–707. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0839-2
Cherry, K. (2023). Why correlational studies are used in psychology research. Verywell Mind. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/yhznezyr
Choi, J., Kruis, N. E., & Kim, Y. (2020). The impact of occupational characteristics and victimization on job burnout among South Korean correctional officers. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 47(7), 905–923. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854820923024
Chouhy, C., Cullen, F. T., & Lee, H. (2020). A social support theory of desistance. Journal of Developmental and Life-course Criminology, 6(2), 204–223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40865-020-00146-4
Coulling, R., Johnston, M. S., & Ricciardelli, R. (2024). “We must be mentally strong”: Exploring barriers to mental health in correctional services. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1258944
Creswell, J. D. (2017). Mindfulness interventions. Annual Review of Psychology, 68(1), 491–516. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-042716-051139
D’Alessandro, A. M., Butterfield, K. M., Hanceroglu, L., & Roberts, K. P. (2022). Listen to the children: Elementary school students’ perspectives on a mindfulness intervention. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 31(8), 2108–2120. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02292-3
Dash, S., Bourke, M., Parker, A. G., Trott, E., & Pascoe, M. C. (2021). Mindfulness is associated with reduced barriers to exercise via decreasing psychological distress in help-seeking young adults: A cross-sectional brief report. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 16(9), 1049–1054. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.132496g
De Magalhães Bezerra, C., De Assis, S. G., & Constantino, P. (2016). Sofrimento psíquico e estresse no trabalho de agentes penitenciários: Uma revisão da literatura. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 21(7), 2135–2146. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232015217.00502016
Dunning, D. L., Griffiths, K., Kuyken, W., Crane, C., Foulkes, L., Parker, J. R., & Dalgleish, T. (2018). Research review: The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on cognition and mental health in children and adolescents – a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 60(3), 244–258. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12980
Feliu Soler, A., Pérez Aranda, A., Luciano, J. V., Demarzo, M., Mariño, M., Soler, J., Van Gordon, W., García Campayo, J., & Montero Marín, J. (2020). Psychometric properties of the 15-item Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in a large sample of Spanish pilgrims. Mindfulness, 12(4), 852–862. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01549-6
Franco, C., Amutio, A., González, L. E., Oriol, X., & Martínez-Taboada, C. (2016). Effect of a mindfulness training program on the impulsivity and aggression levels of adolescents with behavioral problems in the classroom. Frontiers in Psychology, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01385
Friedman, B. (2021). Toward a critical race theory of prison order in the wake of COVID-19 and its afterlives: When disaster collides with institutional death by design. Sociological Perspectives, 64(5), 689–705. https://doi.org/10.1177/07311214211005485
Friese, M., Messner, C., & Schaffner, Y. (2012). Mindfulness meditation counteracts self-control depletion. Consciousness and Cognition, 21(2), 1016–1022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2012.01.008
Fusco, N., Ricciardelli, R., Jamshidi, L., Carleton, R. N., Barnim, N., Hilton, Z., & Groll, D. (2021). When our work hits home: Trauma and mental disorders in correctional officers and other correctional workers. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.493391
Garofalo, C., Gillespie, S. M., & Velotti, P. (2019). Emotion regulation mediates relationships between mindfulness facets and aggression dimensions. Aggressive Behavior, 46(1), 60–71. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21868
Gillions, A., Cheang, R., & Duarte, R. (2019). The effect of mindfulness practice on aggression and violence levels in adults: A systematic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 48, 104–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2019.08.012
Gu, J., Strauss, C., Crane, C., Barnhofer, T., Karl, A., Cavanagh, K., & Kuyken, W. (2016). Examining the factor structure of the 39-item and 15-item versions of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire before and after mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for people with recurrent depression. Psychological Assessment, 28(7), 791–802. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000263
Gutiérrez Cobo, M. J., Megías Robles, A., Gómez Leal, R., Cabello, R., & Fernández Berrocal, P. (2023). Emotion regulation strategies and aggression in youngsters: The mediating role of negative affect. Heliyon, 9(3), e14048. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14048
Harney, J., & Lerman, A. E. (2022). Clarifying the role of officer coping on turnover in corrections. In Promoting wellness and resiliency in correctional officers (pp. 45–70). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/1478601X.2021.1999117
Hausam, J. R., & Dahle, K.-P. (2020). A person-centered approach to prison behavior based on officers’ observations: Relations to risk, prison misconduct, and recidivism. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00241
Howard, S. J. (2016). Mindfulness may have risks as well as benefits. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 109(7), 259–259. https://doi.org/10.1177/0141076816644113
Jyoti, & Anjum, R. (2022). Relationship between mindfulness and aggression among students: A critical study. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 30(5), 6907–6911. https://doi.org/10.53555/kuey.v30i5.4059
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 144–156. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.bpg016
Kaye, A. J., & Erdley, C. A. (2011). Physical aggression. In Encyclopedia of adolescence (pp. 1100–1103). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_2156
Keng, S., Smoski, M. J., & Robins, C. J. (2011). Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: A review of empirical studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(6), 1041–1056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2011.04.006
Kim, E., Gentile, D. A., Anderson, C. A., & Barlett, C. P. (2022). Are mindful people less aggressive? The role of emotion regulation in the relations between mindfulness and aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 48(6), 546–562. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.22036
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer Publishing Company.
Longe, B. (2020, January 23). Correlational research designs: Types, examples & methods. Formplus. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/3664nbsx
Marszalek, C. (2020). The emotional roller coaster of correctional officers: Not just a job. THE SOCIETY: Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Review, 5(1). https://tinyurl.com/56rz26e9
McLaughlin, S., Bonner, G., Mboche, C., & Fairlie, T. (2010). A pilot study to test an intervention for dealing with verbal aggression. British Journal of Nursing, 19(8), 489–494. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2010.19.8.47638
Mösler, T., Poppek, S., Leonhard, C., & Collet, W. (2022). Reflective skills, empathy, wellbeing, and resilience in cognitive-behavior therapy trainees participating in mindfulness-based self-practice/self-reflection. Psychological Reports, 126(6). https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941221094482
Nikolopoulou, K. (2023, June 22). What is purposive sampling? Definition & examples. Scribbr. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/3y57f99b
Podgorski, K., Lobnikar, B., Mihelič, A., & Mihelič, K. P. (2023). Drivers for enhancing job performance of prison officers in Slovenia: Effects of job attitudes, organizational, and work-related factors. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1247743
Police Killings by Country 2023. (n.d.). World Population Review. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/4baathnj
Psychological Association of the Philippines Committee on Ethics and Professional Standards. (2022). Code of ethics for Philippine psychologists and psychometricians. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/mu32ud2x
Querstret, D., Morison, L., Dickinson, S., Cropley, M., & John, M. (2020). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for psychological health and well-being in nonclinical samples: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Stress Management, 27(4). https://doi.org/10.1037/str0000165
Russo, J. (2019). Workforce issues in corrections. NIJ. Retrieved from https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/workforce-issues-corrections
Sarstedt, M., & Mooi, E. (2014). Regression analysis. In Springer texts in business and economics (pp. 193–233). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-53965-7_7
Schindler, S., Pfattheicher, S., & Reinhard, M. (2019). Potential negative consequences of mindfulness in the moral domain. European Journal of Social Psychology, 49(5), 1055–1069. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2570
Schwartz, J. A., Granger, D. A., Calvi, J. L., Jodis, C. A., & Steiner, B. (2023). The implications of stress among correctional officers: A summary of the risks and promising intervention strategies. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X231213316
Shiva, K., Vidya, N., & Ramaa Raju. (2024). Examining the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) on enhancing emotional regulation skills (ERS) and psychological well-being: A critical review. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i01.11761
Soretes, J. A. G., Dimaculangan, D. G. M., Magas, L. M. C., Gasang, C. L., Balila, J. S., & Balila, E. A. (2020). Institutional learning outcomes: An exit survey among graduating students of a faith-based higher education institution in the Philippines (Review). AUP Research Journal, 23(1), 42. https://tinyurl.com/bde9p96m
St Louis, S., Frost, N. A., Monteiro, C. E. B., & Migliaccio, J. T. (2023). Occupational hazards in corrections: The impact of violence and suicide exposures on officers’ emotional and psychological health. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 50(9), 1361–1379. https://doi.org/10.1177/00938548231177710
Tao, S., Li, J., Zhang, M., Zheng, P., Lau, E. Y. H., Sun, J., & Zhu, Y. (2021). The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on child and adolescent aggression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Mindfulness, 12(1301–1315). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01570-9
Vanzin, L., Mauri, V., Valli, A., Pozzi, M., Presti, G., Oppo, A., Ristallo, A., Molteni, M., & Nobile, M. (2020). Clinical effects of an ACT-group training in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 29(4), 1070–1080. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01546-x
Webster, G. D., DeWall, C. N., Pond, R. S., Deckman, T., Jonason, P. K., L., B. M., Smith, C. V., Paddock, E. L., Nezlek, J. B., Kirkpatrick, L. A., Bryan, A. D., & Bator, R. J. (2013). The Brief Aggression Questionnaire: Psychometric and behavioral evidence for an efficient measure of trait aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 40(2), 120–139. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21507
Weller, A. (2018). Five misconceptions in mindfulness and why they may be harming your pupils. TEAN Storehouse. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/45spz7ct
Yuska, S., Equatora, M. A., Subroto, M., & Hamzah, I. (2022). Evaluation of violent behavior prisoners by correctional officers at correctional institutions. Society, 10(1), 13–24. https://doi.org/10.33019/society.v10i1.284
Zhang, A., & Zhang, Q. (2021). How could mindfulness-based intervention reduce aggression in adolescent? Mindfulness, emotion dysregulation, and self-control as mediators. Current Psychology, 42(6), 4483–4497. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-017
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
