The Relationship Between Perceived Stress Levels and the Working Life Quality of Community Mental Health Center Professionals

Abstract

Background: Nowadays, autism represents more than a medical problem, its effects being reflected not only on people diagnosed with, but also in medical professionals involved in therapy, families and communities. Aims: to identify how stress levels of community mental health center professionals affect working life performance. Method: This is a quantitative study, 55 participants from three Community Mental Health Centers in Tirana, 23 – 60 years old, mental health professionals (Psychiatrist, Occupational Therapist, Psychologist, Social Workers, Nurses). Self-report has been used through three questionnaires Measuring Scale of Working Life Quality (WRQoL)”; Measuring Scale of Perceived Stress Levels and Social Demographic Questionnaire Data results have been processed via SPSS statistics 21.0. Participants have been previously informed and they signed the inform consent. Results and Discussion: Quality of Life has a positive affect on working life quality with a coefficient of 0,5 and of an importance about 70%. The better the quality of life, the higher the performance and life quality at work. Distress has a negative influence on working life performance with a coefficient (-0.455) and an importance which equals (0.00). Those who are distressed show a low quality performance at work. This study concluded that there is a strong negative correlation between perceived stress levels and working life quality of community mental health centre proffesionals. The higher perceived stress levels, the lower the quality of work performance. Conclusion: There is a strong negative correlation between perceived stress levels and working life quality. The proffesionals who percieve high stress levels perform low quality work compared to those who experience low stress levels.