Occupational stress of medical staff at psychiatric and addiction treatment wards – a review of research

Abstract

Occupational stress is an important problem in occupational safety and health, which recent research at EU-OSH has shown. The effect of occupational stress is observed both in workers (e.g., psychological problems, depression, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases, diabetes) and in enterprises (e.g., sick leave, employee turnover, decreased productivity). Most managers are aware of occupational stress in their companies; few companies have procedures for coping with it, though. This article presents a review of studies on the causes of occupational stress in medical staff at psychiatric and addiction treatment wards, who are in direct contact with patients. Those are considered to be special jobs, where exposure to stress is intrinsic.