{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T13:08:00Z","timestamp":1788959280144,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788912000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":70,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["bmjph"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>University security personnel in low-resource settings are among the most occupationally vulnerable non-academic staff yet they remain largely absent from occupational health research. This study investigated how university security officers in Ghana perceive and navigate occupational health challenges associated with burnout and shift-related stress.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A qualitative exploratory study rooted in interpretive phenomenology was conducted between July and August 2025 at a public university in southern Ghana. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 purposively selected security personnel with at least 5 years of service. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke\u2019s reflexive thematic analysis approach.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Five themes emerged: (I) occupational workload and burnout driven by chronic understaffing; (II) perceptual burden and emotional strain from disrespectful student interactions; (III) night duty as a significant stressor through disrupted sleep and environmental hazards; (IV) improvised individual and social coping strategies; and (V) inadequate institutional support and structural resource gaps as predictors of sustained stress and burnout.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Burnout and occupational stress among university security personnel in low-resource settings reflect institutional and systemic failures rather than individual shortcomings. Sustainable improvements require adequate staffing, psychosocial support, gender-responsive scheduling and improved infrastructure. Future research should employ longitudinal and multisite designs to capture temporal and contextual variation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjph-2025-004553","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T12:40:28Z","timestamp":1788957628000},"page":"e004553","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Occupational health challenges among university security personnel in a low-resource setting: a qualitative exploratory study"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"4","author":[{"given":"Michael Afari","family":"Baidoo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Administration and Education, University of Education Winneba, Winneba, Central, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ansir Ahmed Omar","family":"Saasong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Administration and Education, University of Education Winneba, Winneba, Central, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-4750-3987","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Desmond Kofi","family":"Kwawuvi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Administration and Education, University of Education Winneba, Winneba, Central, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nana Borsah","family":"Ackah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Counselling Psychology, University of Education Winneba, Winneba, Central, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.1","unstructured":"Al-Mulla K . Stress reduction strategies for improving private security officer performance. 2018."},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.2","first-page":"359","article-title":"The influence of specific aspects of occupational stress on security guards\u2019 health and work ability: detailed extension of a previous study","volume":"71","author":"Jovanovi\u0107","year":"2020","journal-title":"Arh Hig Rada Toksikol"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"125","DOI":"10.5539\/ies.v13n5p125","article-title":"Provision of Security Facilities and Security Personnel Service Delivery in Universities in Cross River State, Nigeria","volume":"13","author":"Etor","year":"2020","journal-title":"IES"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"43","DOI":"10.5367\/ihe.2012.0076","article-title":"Stress and Violence in the Workplace and on Campus","volume":"26","author":"Hunt","year":"2012","journal-title":"Industr High Educ"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3390\/bs14010001","article-title":"Psychosocial work conditions as determinants of well-being in Jamaican police officers","volume":"14","author":"Nelson","year":"2024","journal-title":"Behav Sci"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"87","DOI":"10.4236\/ojn.2020.102005","article-title":"Assess the Level of Occupational Stress\u2026 among Security Guards of a Selected Organization, Shimoga, Karnataka","volume":"10","author":"Siddesh","year":"2020","journal-title":"Open J Nurs"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"16","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19169954","article-title":"Burnout among Professionals Working in Corrections: A Two Stage Review","volume":"19","author":"Forman-Dolan","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2021.622163","article-title":"Burnout Among Private Security Staff in Serbia: A Multicentic Cross-Sectional Study","volume":"9","author":"Veljkovi\u0107","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.9","first-page":"97","article-title":"Working as a security guard on Potchefstroom campus: Issues, challenges and coping strategies","volume":"46","author":"du Toit","year":"2015","journal-title":"South Afr Rev Sociol"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Godinho MR , Ferreira AP , Greco RM , et al . Capacidade para o trabalho e sa\u00fade dos vigilantes de uma Universidade p\u00fablica. Rev Latino-Am Enfermagem 2016;24. doi:10.1590\/1518-8345.0616.2725","DOI":"10.1590\/1518-8345.0616.2725"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-022-20308-2","article-title":"Shift work, clinically significant sleep disorders and mental health in a representative, cross-sectional sample of young working adults","volume":"12","author":"Reynolds","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2105\/AJPH.2019.305278"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2023.1131048","article-title":"Job burnout among workers with different shift regularity: interactive factors between sleep, depression, and work environment","volume":"11","author":"Gu","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2019-030302","article-title":"Associations between shift work characteristics, shift work schedules, sleep and burnout in North American police officers: a cross-sectional study","volume":"9","author":"Peterson","year":"2019","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-60882-1","article-title":"Decoding the impact of night\/day shiftwork on well-being among healthcare workers","volume":"14","author":"Ugwu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"713","DOI":"10.1057\/s41284-020-00257-z","article-title":"Security guards as victims of violence: Using organisational support theory","volume":"34","author":"Koeppen","year":"2021","journal-title":"Secur J"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Shonly KG , Thekkel ST . Occupational stress and coping mechanism among district Armed Reserve (DAR) police, Karnataka, India (pre print). In Review 2024. doi:10.21203\/rs.3.rs-5329873\/v1","DOI":"10.21203\/rs.3.rs-5329873\/v1"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"984","DOI":"10.1007\/s11896-022-09556-0","article-title":"How Do Police Officers Cope with Stress? A Qualitative Study","volume":"37","author":"Singo","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Police Crim Psych"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.19","first-page":"3","article-title":"The impact of high-performance work practices on employee burnout experience in UK higher education: a professional services perspective","volume":"29","author":"Wolfe","year":"2025","journal-title":"Perspect Policy Pract High Educ"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/ocp0000056"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1186\/s12888-020-02704-y","article-title":"Correlates of mental health in occupations at risk for traumatization: a cross-sectional study","volume":"20","author":"Sch\u00e4fer","year":"2020","journal-title":"BMC Psychiatry"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10","DOI":"10.1186\/s40352-025-00320-0","article-title":"Psychological health and safety of criminal justice workers: a scoping review of strategies and supporting research","volume":"13","author":"Canning","year":"2025","journal-title":"Health Justice"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.23","unstructured":"Rubin H , Rubin I . Qualitative interviewing: the art of hearing data. Sage, 2011."},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"328","DOI":"10.1080\/14780887.2020.1769238","article-title":"One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis?","volume":"18","author":"Braun","year":"2021","journal-title":"Qual Res Psychol"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1177\/1609406917733847","article-title":"Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria","volume":"16","author":"Nowell","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int J Qual Methods"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1049732317697102"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2013.281053"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1108\/JFP-02-2025-0013","article-title":"Mental health and well-being amongst police officers: a three-country comparison through the application of the jobs demand-resources model","volume":"28","author":"Beckley","year":"2026","journal-title":"J Forensic Pract"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"19","DOI":"10.3390\/su151914327","article-title":"Mitigating the impact of work overload on Cybersecurity Behavior","volume":"15","author":"Hong","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sustainability"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5","DOI":"10.18103\/mra.v13i5.6525","article-title":"Investigating the Impact of Night-Duty on Sleep Architecture and Mental Well-Being in the Security Personnel: A Quasi-Experimental Study","volume":"13","author":"Daulatabad","year":"2025","journal-title":"MRAJ"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.15603\/2176-1019\/mud.v27n2p27-33","article-title":"O trabalho noturno e seus efeitos na sa\u00fade dos trabalhadores da \u00e1rea de seguran\u00e7a","volume":"27","author":"Fran\u00e7a","year":"2019","journal-title":"MPS"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph17020562","article-title":"Night-Time Shift Work and Related Stress Responses: A Study on Security Guards","volume":"17","author":"Cannizzaro","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph21070921","article-title":"Strategies for Coping with Occupational Trauma: A Scoping Review of the Police Officer Context","volume":"21","author":"Modula","year":"2024","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19042157"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"126","DOI":"10.1108\/PIJPSM-09-2017-0114","article-title":"Resilience of public and private security providers: a state-of-the-art literature review","volume":"42","author":"Laureys","year":"2019","journal-title":"PIJPSM"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.36","first-page":"6","article-title":"Identifying organisational stressors in police officers","volume":"19","author":"Maran","year":"2022","journal-title":"IJERPH"},{"key":"2026090905401390000_4.3.e004553.37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1103","DOI":"10.1111\/apps.12502","article-title":"Simple roads to failure, complex paths to success: An evaluation of conditions explaining perceived fit of an organizational occupational health intervention","volume":"73","author":"Roczniewska","year":"2024","journal-title":"Appl Psychol"}],"container-title":["BMJ Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.1136\/bmjph-2025-004553","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T12:40:38Z","timestamp":1788957638000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/bmjpublichealth.bmj.com\/lookup\/doi\/10.1136\/bmjph-2025-004553"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7]]},"references-count":37,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,7]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1136\/bmjph-2025-004553"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/bmjph-2025-004553","relation":{},"ISSN":["2753-4294"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2753-4294","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7]]}}}