Burnout within forensic psychiatric nursing: Its relationship with ward environment and effective clinical supervision?

WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT?: Burnout is a prominent issue in psychiatric nursing and associated with significant adverse consequences for staff, service users and at an organizational level. Exploration of the extent and predictors of burnout in secure settings has received little research attention. It is not fully understood why prevalence rates of burnout in forensic settings are not elevated in comparison to other settings, despite the presence of known risk-related correlates. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: In contrast to previous research, findings suggest that clinical supervision may not be an effective, stand-alone intervention to support staff experiencing burnout. Thus, the current focus on clinical supervision to mitigate burnout may be insufficient in forensic services. The ward environment (specifically how safe staff feel, how therapeutic the ward feels and how well service users relate to one another) was found to be more important than clinical supervision in terms of burnout for forensic psychiatric nursing staff. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Policies regarding staff health and well-being should be developed with due consideration given to the association between burnout and the working environment. It should not be assumed that clinical supervision is sufficient to mitigate burnout in practice. Further research assessing all types of support and the ward environment is needed to gain a better understanding of its relationship to burnout. ABSTRACT: Introduction Despite extensive research examining burnout in psychiatric nursing staff, literature exploring key predictors of burnout in secure psychiatric settings has been relatively neglected. Research has yet to explore burnout in these settings by adopting previously identified predictors such as support or the ward environment. Aim The current study aimed to reduce this gap by exploring burnout, the perceived effectiveness of clinical supervision and ward environment. Method In 2014, nursing staff working in a medium secure forensic psychiatric unit in the United Kingdom (N = 137) provided demographic information and completed the measures assessing: Burnout, clinical supervision and the ward environment. Results Approximately 10% of nursing staff could be classed as "burnt-out". The main predictors of burnout were age and ward environment. Clinical supervision had minimal association with burnout. Discussion The current study sheds doubt on clinical supervision as a potential intervention for burnout and results appear comparable to research within other settings. The implications of the ward environment, supervision and burnout are discussed herein. Implication for Practice Interventions may need to focus on a positive ward environment (including patient cohesion, experienced safety and enhancing the therapeutic atmosphere). Organizations should support younger nursing staff as they appear particularly vulnerable to burnout.

Burnout in mental health professionals: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and determinants

This study aimed to estimate the level of burnout in mental health professionals and to identify specific determinants of burnout in this population. A systematic search of MEDLINE/PubMed, PsychINFO/Ovid, Embase, CINAHL/EBSCO and Web of Science was conducted for original research published between 1997 and 2017. Sixty-two studies were identified as meeting the study criteria for the systematic review. Data on the means, standard deviations, and prevalence of the dimensions of burnout were extracted from 33 studies and included in the meta-analysis (n = 9409). The overall estimated pooled prevalence for emotional exhaustion was 40% (CI 31%-48%) for depersonalisation was 22% (CI 15%-29%) and for low levels of personal accomplishment was 19% (CI 13%-25%). The random effects estimate of the mean scores on the Maslach Burnout Inventory indicate that the average mental health professional has high levels of emotional exhaustion [mean 21.11 (95% CI 19.98, 22.24)], moderate levels of depersonalisation [mean 6.76 (95% CI 6.11, 7.42)] but retains reasonable levels of personal accomplishment [mean 34.60 (95% CI 32.99, 36.21)]. Increasing age was found to be associated with an increased risk of depersonalisation but also a heightened sense of personal accomplishment. Work-related factors such as workload and relationships at work, are key determinants for burnout, while role clarity, a sense of professional autonomy, a sense of being fairly treated, and access to regular clinical supervision appear to be protective. Staff working in community mental health teams may be more vulnerable to burnout than those working in some specialist community teams, e.g., assertive outreach, crisis teams.

The Relationship between Adult Attachment Styles and Work-Related Self-Perceptions for Australian Paediatric Occupational Therapists

Introduction:

An attachment framework has been increasingly employed to inform our understanding of the ways in which early childhood relationships have an impact upon people's adaptation to the workplace. Evidence supports the presence of four attachment-related work orientations in adulthood (secure, cautious, support-seeking and self-reliant), which correspond to a secure and three insecure attachment patterns in early childhood. Although these work orientations have been investigated in several working populations, they have not yet been considered within a sample of occupational therapists.

Method:

The present exploratory study considered the results of a nationwide survey of 486 paediatric occupational therapists, and investigated the associations between attachment styles and a range of demographic variables and work-related self-perceptions.

Results:

Consistent with hypotheses, those with a secure attachment style reported a high investment of skill and energy in their job and low levels of over commitment. Conversely, cautious attachment and, to a lesser extent, support-seeking attachment were linked with feeling overcommitted and perceiving low returns in terms of recognition and prestige from their work.

Conclusion:

Understanding how practitioners' predominant attachment style is associated with work-related self-perceptions may offer insights into their behaviours and needs. This, in turn, can inform the provision of appropriate supports, with potential benefits for staff satisfaction, retention, health, wellbeing and, ultimately, client care.