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Mental Health, ‘Burnout’ and Job Satisfaction among Hospital and Community-Based Mental Health Staff

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

David Prosser ,
Sonia Johnson ,
Elizabeth Kuipers ,
George Szmukler ,
Paul Bebbington  and
Graham Thornicroft
David Prosser*
Affiliation:
Maudsley Continuing Care Study, Institute of Psychiatry
Sonia Johnson
Affiliation:
Maudsley Continuing Care Study, Institute of Psychiatry
Elizabeth Kuipers
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry
George Szmukler
Affiliation:
Bethlem & Maudsley NHS Trust
Paul Bebbington
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, University College London
Graham Thornicroft
Affiliation:
PRiSM, Institute of Psychiatry
*
Dr D. Prosser, Maudsley Continuing Care Study, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF
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Abstract

Background

Concerns have been expressed that staff burnout may make community mental health care difficult to sustain. This study compares stress and job satisfaction between community and hospital-based staff.

Method

The GHQ-12, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and a job satisfaction measure were used to study 160 Inner London staff.

Results

Community staff scored significantly higher on the GHQ-12 and the ‘emotional exhaustion’ component of the Maslach Burnout Inventory than hospital-based in-patient, day care or out-patient staff. Satisfaction did not vary significantly between settings.

Conclusions

These results may be explained in several ways. Community work may be inherently more stressful than hospital work, or may currently be stressful because of inadequate resources, training or supervision. The results may also reflect widespread recent changes in community services or the specific effects of working in a deprived area.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 169 , Issue 3 , September 1996 , pp. 334 - 337
Copyright
Copyright © 1996 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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