Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Tina Jaeckle

Committee Member

Marcelo Castro

Committee Member

Grace Telesco

Keywords

Bahamian justice system, Bahamian stenographers, coping mechanisms, court reporter, Court Reporting Unit, criminal court settings, due process, generic qualitative methodology, institutional support, job autonomy, Job-Demands-Control-Support model, judiciary, justice system, organizational support, occupational stress, occupational stressors, performance outcomes, physiological health, policy development, psychological health, qualitative research, semi-structured interviews, stenographer, Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, well-being

Abstract

Stenographers play a significant role in the delivery of due process that is severely overlooked by stakeholders. Research on occupational stress of criminal justice practitioners explore the experiences of the judiciary and other key officers of the court, but stenographers are underrepresented in existing literature. This study utilized the Job-Demands-Control-Support (JDCS) model and the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping (TMSC) to examine the occupation stress experienced by stenographers who service the judiciary of The Bahamas and explored how job demands, job autonomy, institutional support, and coping mechanisms shape their well-being and performance. Using a generic qualitative methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with stenographers from the Court Reporting Unit to achieve the study’s aim of identifying occupational stressors that influence their performance, and the coping strategies that mitigate occupational strain of the profession.

The findings indicated that Bahamian stenographers operate within a high-demand environment with limited organizational support, resources, where existing coping strategies were often ineffective in managing occupational stress. The results suggested that occupational stress is not only an individual issue but is embedded within systemic and organizational conditions. This study contributes to the wider body of existing literature regarding experiences of occupational stress within the justice system and provides insights to inform policy development and reform to enhance the well-being of stenographers and ultimately enhance the efficiency and overall functioning of the Bahamian justice system.

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