Insomnia severity and multidimensional psychological well-being in Chilean correctional personnel: a cross-sectional study

Introduction Prison officers in Chile work under highly stressful and dangerous conditions characterized by prison overcrowding, violence, long shifts, and chronic exposure to stress. Shift work and irregular schedules negatively affect sleep quality and contribute to insomnia, which in turn may impair psychological well-being. Despite growing evidence on occupational stress in correctional staff, limited research has examined the relationship between sleep quality, insomnia, and psychological well-being in prison guards. Therefore, this study aimed to assess working conditions, subjective sleep quality, insomnia severity, and psychological well-being among Chilean prison officers. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 43 prison guards from five prisons in the Valparaíso Region, Chile. Instruments included the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), self-ratings of subjective sleep quality and the Ryff Psychological Wellbeing Scale (PWB). Sociodemographic and work-related variables were also analyzed, including sick leave, exposure to violence at work, need for mental health care, perceived organizational support, and energy drink consumption. Results Participants reported low institutional support (60.5%) and frequent sick leave (68.4%). Over one-third considered seeking psychological care (37.2%), and 53.5% reported daily energy drink consumption. Insomnia levels were moderate and clinically relevant (M = 17.87, SD = 0.91), with high dissatisfaction and functional impairment. Psychological well-being was moderate overall (M = 54.84, SD = 16.52), with higher scores in positive relationships and lower scores in environmental mastery and personal growth. No significant association was found between ISI scores and overall or subscale psychological well-being. However, insomnia was positively associated with years at the institution ( p = 0.023, r = 0.349), indicating that longer tenure relates to higher subjective insomnia severity scores. Conclusions Chilean prison officers exhibited clinically significant insomnia, moderate psychological well-being, and low perceived institutional support. Although no significant association was found between insomnia and psychological well-being, insomnia severity increased with years of service. These findings underscore the need to improve working conditions and implement policies that promote occupational health in Chilean prisons. Incorporating a gender perspective in this highly masculinized context is also recommended, as well as further research to enhance psychological well-being.