Workplace stressors and PTSD among psychiatric workers: The mediating role of burnout

Abstract

Critical workplace events (e.g., assaults), chronic stressors, burnout, and work conditions all affect nurse well-being. The present study investigated associations among these sources of stress and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in psychiatric nurses, hypothesizing that burnout would mediate the paths between workplace stressors and PTSD. Surveys were completed by 611 psychiatric nurses or allied health staff working on inpatient units in three psychiatric hospitals. Participants reported on critical events and chronic stressors specific to providing psychiatric care and completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS) (work conditions), and PTSD Checklist for DSM-5. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling. Burnout had a direct relation to PTSD symptoms and partially mediated the effect of exposure to critical events, but not chronic stressors, on PTSD symptoms. Chronic stressors related to patients' disturbing behaviour (e.g., flooding room, eating non-food items) had a direct effect on PTSD symptoms, but those related to resisting care (e.g., screaming constantly, physically resisting care) had no significant association. Worklife conditions had a negative direct effect on Burnout and indirect effect on PTSD, whereby participants reporting poorer alignment of work conditions with their expectations had higher Burnout and PTSD symptom scores. Different sources of workplace stress have different relations to PTSD symptoms, and Burnout has both direct and mediation effects. Interventions aimed at reducing patients' aggressive and disturbing acts and improving healthcare providers' burnout and worklife factors in hospitals may all be needed to reduce PTSD among psychiatric staff.

Characteristics of International Staff Victims of Psychiatric Patient Assaults: Review of Published Findings, 2017–2022

“…Eleven of the studies in this review also noted the need for post-incident services for victims [12,14,15,17,18,22,23,25,26,30,31]. As Psychiatry has learned more about psychological trauma/PTSD and its impact on human functioning, clinicians also realized the potential negative impact on employees that could result in medical absences, lost productivity, human suffering, and weakened morale.…”

Association between burnout and post‐traumatic stress disorder among frontline nurse during COVID‐19 pandemic: A moderated mediation analysis

“…Studies have identified high‐pressure environments as the cause of PTSD (Levi et al., 2021). Burnout and PTSD also share similar symptoms, such as the emotional exhaustion of burnout being associated with negative changes in thinking and mood in PTSD (Ham et al., 2022). According to the JD‐R model (Demerouti et al., 2001), emotionally exhausted nurses are unable to adapt to the changing demands of the job because of the massive loss of resources.…”

“…Studies have identified high-pressure environments as the cause of PTSD (Levi et al, 2021). Burnout and PTSD also share similar symptoms, such as the emotional exhaustion of burnout being associated with negative changes in thinking and mood in PTSD (Ham et al, 2022). According to the JD-R model…”

Leaving it at the gate: A phenomenological exploration of resilience in mental health nursing staff in a high‐secure personality disorder unit

“…James's research (James, 2003) in nursing uses the term emotional labour to emphasize the relationship between emotional labour and physical labour: James describes both as being hard, skilled work requiring experience, affected by immediate conditions and contexts. A study of chronic stressors, burnout and work conditions by Ham et al (2022) investigated associations amongst these sources of stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) amongst mental health nurses. They found that interventions aimed at reducing patients' aggressive and disturbing acts and improving healthcare providers' burnout and work-life factors in hospitals may all be needed to reduce PTSD amongst mental health professionals.…”