Mindfulness, stress and burnout among mental health professionals in Singapore

Abstract

International literature suggests that mental health professionals are experiencing high levels of stress and burnout. This is of concern as high levels of stress and burnout in healthcare professionals are associated with staff health concerns, decreased patient satisfaction, and high staff turnover rates. A growing body of research has shown that mindfulness is effective in reducing stress and burnout in health professionals in western countries. However, the extent of stress and burnout, and the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions in reducing stress and burnout experienced by mental health professionals in Singapore, were unknown.To address these gaps in the literature, there were two primary aims of this thesis: (1) to investigate the extent of stress and burnout in healthcare professionals working in a mental health setting in Singapore, and (2) to examine the effectiveness of a mindfulness intervention in promoting mindfulness and compassion and reducing stress and burnout among mental health professionals in Singapore. A sequential two-phase research design was adopted to address these aims. Phase one was a cross-sectional survey study addressing the first aim, while Phase two was a prospective study addressing the second aim. In addition, there were three secondary aims: (1) to investigate the psychometric properties of the Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), (2) to examine the associations between mindfulness, stress, and burnout among mental health professionals in Singapore, and (3) to examine the relationships between amount of time engaged in both formal and informal homework practice and change in mindfulness and stress levels after the mindfulness intervention. The first and second secondary aims were addressed in the Phase one study, while the third secondary aim was addressed in the Phase two study.In the Phase one study, a cross-sectional survey which included the PSS (Perceived Stress Scale), OLBI (Oldenburg Burnout Inventory), and FFMQ (Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire), was conducted. A total of 260 Singaporean mental health professionals consisting of psychiatrists/ doctors, allied health professionals, case managers, pharmacists, researchers, or nurses completed the survey. Findings from this study showed that healthcare professionals working in a mental health setting in Singapore were experiencing higher levels of stress and burnout compared to healthy adults in other countries. Mental health professionals below the age of 25, those with less than five years' experience, and those with the lowest annual income, reported the highest levels of stress and burnout. No significant 3 associations were found between other demographic or work situation variables with stress and burnout. All of the mindfulness facets were negatively associated with stress and burnout. In addition, the FFMQ was found to have a five-factor structure consistent with the original measure, and demonstrated excellent internal consistency and adequate construct validity, in our sample of Si...