Stress, burnout, and job dissatisfaction in mental health workers

Abstract

As the industrial world has transformed toward a service economy, a particular interest has developed in mental health problems at the workplace. The risk for burnout is significantly increased in certain occupations, notably for health care workers. Beyond the effects of an extensive workload, many working hours, or long night shifts, the medical field has specific stressors. Physicians work in emotionally demanding environments with patients, families, or other medical staff. They must make quick decisions while faced with a quite frequent information overload. All of these stressors have to be weighed against a rapidly changing organizational context within medicine. Today, economics objectives have priority over medical values in health care. In principal, mental health workers should experience similar work stressors and the same contextual factors as health professionals from other medical disciplines. However, several studies have identified stressors that are unique to the psychiatric profession. These challenges range from the stigma of this profession, to particularly demanding relationships with patients and difficult interactions with other mental health professionals as part of multidisciplinary teams to personal threats from violent patients. Other sources of stress are a lack of positive feedback, low pay, and a poor work environment. Finally, patient suicide is a major stressor, upon which a majority of mental health workers report post-traumatic stress symptoms.

Psychological Capital Qualities and Psychological Well-Being in Australian Mental Health Professionals

“…As the risk for job distress and staff burnout has significantly increased for mental health workers (Rossler, 2012); mental healthcare delivery and improving staff psychological well-being have required increased attention (Lasalvia et al, 2009). Avey, Luthans, Smith, and Palmer (2010) suggest that personal psychological well-being leads to desired outcomes in both personal life, and in work settings.…”

Burnout syndrome among psychiatric trainees in 22 countries: Risk increased by long working hours, lack of supervision, and psychiatry not being first career choice

“…Psychiatry itself adds several very specific stressors such as perceived stigma of this profession, demanding therapeutic relationships, personal threats from violent patients and patient suicide (12).…”

Integrating Self-Determination and Job Demands–Resources Theory in Predicting Mental Health Provider Burnout

“…Compared against other professions, studies have shown that the mental health workforce faces many unique challenges and stressors, including the stigma surrounding mental health, secondary exposure to client trauma, client suicides, and high productivity demands coupled with low pay (Chemtob, Hamada, Bauer, Kinney, 1998;Rossler, 2012). Moreover, relative to other private sector industries, the mental health sector has a higher incidence of workplace violence (Privitera, Weisman, Cerulli, Tu, & Groman, 2005).…”