A systematic review of the resiliency and coping factors that are associated with job satisfaction and professional quality of life in mental health staff, and a grounded theory study exploring the emotional experiences of staff working within adult inpatient mental health rehabilitation services

Stead, Lauren 2022. A systematic review of the resiliency and coping factors that are associated with job satisfaction and professional quality of life in mental health staff, and a grounded theory study exploring the emotional experiences of staff working within adult inpatient mental health rehabilitation services. ClinPsy Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

The current research focused on staff wellbeing and perceptions of their role within mental health services. Firstly, the systematic review aimed to examine existing research investigating the association between mental health staff’s coping skills and/or resilience, and their reports of job satisfaction and/or professional quality of life. Both job satisfaction and professional quality of life (PQOL) capture employees’ perceptions of their job and the positive and negative emotions they may hold about their work. This may include experiences of secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction and burnout. Poor job satisfaction and PQOL have been linked to poor emotional wellbeing in staff, as well as service-related factors such as increased absenteeism and staff turnover. Staff may employ a range of coping strategies which can be described as helpful (adaptive) or unhelpful (maladaptive) to try and manage the challenges of their role and draw on personal resiliency factors. This review is the first to examine the relationship between these factors. A systematic review of the literature was conducted, searching seven databases. Ten relevant papers were sourced and synthesised. Limited evidence was found for the relationship between resilience and job satisfaction. Resilience demonstrated a negative association with burnout but was not related to secondary traumatic stress or compassion fatigue. A positive association was reported between resilience and compassion satisfaction. There was limited evidence of a significant association between coping and job satisfaction. When considering PQOL, no significant association was found between most adaptive coping strategies and burnout and secondary traumatic stress. However, a positive association was found with experiences of compassion satisfaction. Maladaptive coping strategies were found to be positively associated with experiences of burnout, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and a negatively associated with compassion satisfaction. These findings should be held tentatively. Overall, there was limited research in this area and the research papers were of mixed quality. Several studies had substantial methodological flaws that should be addressed in future research, i.e. using valid and robust psychometrics and gaining consistency in the measures used throughout this field. As such, it is difficult to draw firm conclusions about the relationship between the key variables. Paper two describes a novel, qualitative research project, exploring the emotional experiences of staff working within adult inpatient mental health rehabilitation services (AIMHRS). Maintaining staff wellbeing poses a challenge across healthcare settings. Increases in service pressures and a reduction in resources have only intensified pressure on staff. Wellbeing is a particular challenge within mental health services, with research demonstrating high rates of stress and burnout. These experiences can impact on staff’s health, their therapeutic relationships with service users and lead to staffing shortages. Despite research into other mental health specialities, there has been a lack of research within AIMHRS. The current research aimed to develop an understanding of staff’s emotional experiences in this setting. Nine members of staff, working across three health boards in south Wales agreed to participate. The author conducted semi-structured interviews and grounded theory was used to analysis transcripts. A theory was developed that described how staff’s roles impact on them emotionally, how they negotiate challenges that arise and what supports them to keep going despite the challenges. Six primary categories emerged from the data: 1) enabling relational safety; 2) holding an explanatory framework; 3) reinvigorating staff; 4) systemic challenges; 5) challenges to relational safety and connection and 6) consequences of the ‘perfect storm’. A dilemma was noted in how staff remain connected and authentic in a system that poses physical, emotion and systemic threats. This research adds to the evidence base, expanding our understanding of staff psychological wellbeing and distress to an AIMHRS context. Clinical implications of the research, such as the importance of holding a clear model of care and relevant support structures for staff, are discussed. Future research may consider using this knowledge to tailor interventions for staff and address the specific challenges faced within this setting.

Item Type:	Thesis (DClinPsy)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Psychology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	14 November 2022
Last Modified:	14 Nov 2023 02:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/154155

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