Professional Stress Scale Research Articles

O Trabalho por Turnos e o Stress de Enfermeiros de um Serviço de Urgência

Introduction: Stress affects a large proportion of nurses, who are more susceptible to it because of their demanding work. Objectives: To study the relationship between stress and sociodemographic and professional variables, and to analyse the perception of stress factors among Emergency Department nurses and their relationship with shift work. Material and Methods: A descriptive-correlational, cross-sectional, and quantitative study. The Nurses' Professional Stress Scale was applied, consisting of 34 items that measure the frequency of situations experienced as stressful by nurses in a hospital environment. It evaluates three types of environments and seven factors the authors consider to be significant stressors. The sample consisted of 60 nurses. Data was processed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Most participants were female (68.3%), aged between 31 and 40 (61.7%). Participants with children who work in other institutions had higher stress factors. There was no relationship between the stress variable and the work regime. The participants' stress was, on average, more associated with the item "Death and dying," a factor of the "Psychological environment," the "Workload," a factor of the "Physical environment," and at the level of the "Social environment," the "Conflict with doctors". Conclusions: Participants with children and who work in other institutions were the ones who perceived high-stress factors. There was no relationship between the stress variable and the working regime. Regarding the three types of environment, stress was associated with the items "Death and dying," "Workload," and "Conflict with doctors".

O Trabalho por Turnos e o Stress de Enfermeiros de um Serviço de Urgência

Introduction: Stress affects a large proportion of nurses, who are more susceptible to it because of their demanding work. Objectives: To study the relationship between stress and sociodemographic and professional variables, and to analyse the perception of stress factors among Emergency Department nurses and their relationship with shift work. Material and Methods: A descriptive-correlational, cross-sectional, and quantitative study. The Nurses' Professional Stress Scale was applied, consisting of 34 items that measure the frequency of situations experienced as stressful by nurses in a hospital environment. It evaluates three types of environments and seven factors the authors consider to be significant stressors. The sample consisted of 60 nurses. Data was processed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Most participants were female (68.3%), aged between 31 and 40 (61.7%). Participants with children who work in other institutions had higher stress factors. There was no relationship between the stress variable and the work regime. The participants' stress was, on average, more associated with the item "Death and dying," a factor of the "Psychological environment," the "Workload," a factor of the "Physical environment," and at the level of the "Social environment," the "Conflict with doctors". Conclusions: Participants with children and who work in other institutions were the ones who perceived high-stress factors. There was no relationship between the stress variable and the working regime. Regarding the three types of environment, stress was associated with the items "Death and dying," "Workload," and "Conflict with doctors".

Development of a social and professional stress scale for parents of children with autism spectrum disorder

Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may experience increased stress in their social and professional activities due to the challenges of raising a child with ASD. The present study developed a scale to measure the Social and Professional Stress (SPS) experienced daily by these parents. The study sample consisted of 255 parents residing in Brazil aged between 21 and 61 years (mean = 38, SD = 6.0). Item Response Theory (IRT) was used to develop the SPS-Scale, which showed good psychometric properties. Our findings indicated a higher level of SPS among mothers who are primary caregivers and who have children with symptoms of ASD at medium or severe levels. The child's age and the interviewee's marital status also showed an association with the SPS experienced by the parents. Overall, the SPS-Scale proved to be a valid instrument to measure the SPS experienced daily by parents of children or adolescents diagnosed with ASD.

Zamor suosjećanja i sagorijevanje kod stručnjaka u području tretmana ovisnosti tijekom pandemije COVID-19

The aim of this research was to determine the levels of compassion fatigue and burnout in addiction workers and to assess the possibility of prediction of the variance of those variables using mental health workers' work stressors and experienced stress due to changes in working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the moderating effect of compassion satisfaction in the relationship between work stressors and compassion fatigue was tested. 126 addiction workers (79,7 % women) participated in this research. The following instruments were used: Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, Professional Quality of Life Scale, Mental Health Professional Stress Scale, and Perceived Stress due to Changes in Working Conditions during the COVID-19 Pandemic Questionnaire, developed for the purpose of this study. Compassion fatigue (secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout) was determined by client-related difficulties, home-work conflict, relationship and conflicts with other professionals and organisational structure and processes. Burnout (OLBI) was determined by workload-related stress. Compassion satisfaction was found to have a moderating effect in the relationship between work stressors and compassion fatigue. Perceived stress due to changes in working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic predicted both secondary traumatic stress and burnout (OLBI).

Resilience and work-related stress among mental health nurses in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Work-related stress is harmful physical and emotional reactions that can occur when there is a conflict between an employee’s work needs and his or her level of control to meet those demands. Work-related stress can come from multiple causes, however, when stress occurs in unmanageable amounts for the nurse, mental and physical changes may occur. Resilience gives people the mental toughness to deal with stress, trauma, adversity, and difficulties. The study aimed to explore the level of work-related stress among mental health care nurses and their resilience capacity at Eradah & Mental Health Complex–Eradah Services (EMHC-ES) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional research design was utilized taking the responses of 172 nurses. The questionnaire encompassed the Mental Health Professional Stress Scale (MHPSS) 42 items assessed on a four-point Likert scale and the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) 10-items assessed on a 5-point Likert scale. The results revealed a satisfactorily high level of resilience (M = 30.7 on a scale of 0-40) and a moderate level of stress among the participants (M = 1.86 on a scale of 0 to 3) with the mean subscale score was the highest for the workload associated stress and the lowest for the homework conflict-related stress. There was a near to significant correlation between the stress level and the resilience among the participants (p = .053). An appropriate strategy in health care organizations to assess stress, explore causes, and provide early management in mental health care settings is highly recommended.

Professional stress of special school teachers in Palakkad District

The present study is aimed to find out the professional stress of special school teachers in Palakkad district, Kerala State. Data were collected from 50 special school teachers dealing students with LD,HI,VI,MR and Autism by administering professional stress scale developed by the researcher and her supervising teacher. Teachers with average stress are 76%where as teachers with severe stress and low stress are 16% and 8% respectively. There is no significant difference in professional stress based on gender, type of management and teaching experience. Among the various components contributing to professional stress, students’ behaviour and parental involvement are more influential than rest of them. The least influential components are working environment and administrative norms. The findings indicate the need to empower special school teachers in the district to deal students and their parents in a most pleasing and diplomatic way. .

An Audit and Quality Improvement Project Regarding the Management of Patients With Eating Disorders Within the West Glasgow CAMHS Team

AimsThere has been a significant increase in presentations of people with eating disorders (ED) within CAMHS in relation to the pandemic with a significant pressure on services to continue to provide evidence-based treatments for an expanding number of severely unwell patients. The first aim was to assess the quality of referrals received for patients with suspected ED and to then implement an intervention regarding the way that referrals are handled. The second aim was to establish a process for handling and monitoring patients already open to the service.MethodsAn initial and repeat survey was sent to staff within the team. The survey included the Mental Health Professional Stress Scale (MHPSS). An audit was conducted to establish the quality of referrals from GPs based on the Junior Marsipan guidelines. Data were collected on physical measures and the written content of referrals for March 2020–21 and March 2021–22.Duty clinicians were asked to screen referrals and prompt GPs to submit recordings of physical parameters for the referrals to be triaged. In addition, a weekly meeting in a “board round” format was implemented to discuss new referrals and 40–50 existing patients each week depending on risk. We developed a physical health monitoring clinic once per week.ResultsMHPSS scores remained high between initial and follow-up surveys, with slightly increased mean scores for workload, organisational structure and processes, and lack of resources. Referrals from 2020–2021 (N = 26) and those from 2021–2022 (N = 39) were screened. The majority had a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa. Most referrals had records of height and weight (73.1 to 82.1%). 53.8% of referrals in the re-audit period required prompting for physical recordings to be submitted. There was no change in the written content of referrals at re-audit, with only 46.2% recording risk, 51.3% recording estimated onset and 56.4% documenting body image.There was a slight reduction in the mean time between referral and diagnosis from 44.1 to 34.2 days. The weekly board round received positive feedback (N = 10) with 70–100% answering agree/strongly agree to statements such as manage patients’ care safely, obtaining urgent advice and physical monitoring.ConclusionThe processes summarised above have been successful in improving the efficiency surrounding the management of patients with ED. Unfortunately, there has been no improvement in the stress levels of staff; we hope to conduct a focus group to better understand this. A referral proforma should be developed by the wider service for GPs to complete.

Factors affecting the caring performance of newly graduated Nurses' working in critical care units.

Although many studies have discussed nurses' caring performance, few have focussed on critical care nurses. Also, none have studied this among newly graduated nurses despite their very different circumstances. The purpose of this study was to examine factors affecting the caring performance of newly graduated nurses in critical care units. A descriptive cross-sectional design, using self-reported questionnaires, was used among a sample of 209 nurses interviewed in Jordanian hospitals. The Mental Health Professionals Stress Scale was used for measuring work-related stress and the Caring Behaviours Assessment tool to assess caring performance. Data collection was conducted from March to May 2018. The participants had moderate levels of caring performance (M= 182.6/315, SD= 15.46). The highest score was reported for 'Supportive/Protective/Corrective Environment' subscale, while the lowest for 'Teaching/Learning' subscale. Many significant differences were noticed in caring performance based on participants' demographics. Only working in private hospitals was a significant predictor for caring performance (P< .05) predicting 14% of variance. Caring performance of newly graduated nurses in critical care units was affected by many factors including workload, self-doubt, income and area of working. The significance was flagged of developing nursing policies concerned with stress relief and improvement of caring performance.

Assessment of Stress Salivary Markers, Perceived Stress, and Shift Work in a Cohort of Fishermen: A Preliminary Work.

Due to work-related stress, today, work itself represents a daily challenge that must be faced in many occupations. While, in the past, the scientific community has focused on the helping professions, since, an increasing number of professions have since been investigated. Therefore, different approaches exist in order to assess this disorder, representing a scientific field wherein biological and psychological dimensions both need to be evaluated. In this paper, we consider three biological salivary markers: interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), cortisol, and melatonin. The choice derives from recent contributions to the literature in which the interplay between these markers has been verified. Briefly, such interplay could explain how the central nervous, endocrine, and immune systems communicate with each other, supporting a holistic concept of person. In 30 marine fishermen from the Apulia region of Italy, perceived stress was measured using the Professional Stress Scale (PSS) and sleep disturbances were assessed through the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Salivary markers were collected at 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Those subjects reporting sleep disturbance and having altered scores in two PSS subclasses, home–work conflict and self-esteem, presented inverted salivary melatonin and cortisol nictemeral rhythms (with regard to melatonin levels at 8:00 a.m., those workers reporting values higher than the median showed 64.1% versus 48.6% home–work conflict with respect to cortisol levels, subjects having an inverted circadian rhythm showed 69.9% versus 52.5% home–work conflict, and these values resulted 47.7% versus 25.3% when the self-esteem was considered). As regards melatonin, PSQI score is statistically different in the two groups of subjects as identified by median melatonin at 8:00 a.m.; specifically, the subjects who had mean values higher than the median shared higher PSQI scores (10.8 versus 9.8). The same subjects reported more frequent home–work conflict and more sleep disorders. We found a negative correlation between IL-1β at 8:00 a.m. and Cortdiff (the difference between cortisol at 8:00 a.m.–cortisol at 2:00 p.m.), and that high IL-1β at 8:00 a.m. was associated with low Cortdiff. Based on our results we would like to propose this approach in health surveillance, in order to prevent mental and/or physical disorders, however our study is surely preliminary. The interesting perspectives and hypotheses cited in this paper, in which the roles of IL-1β and norepinephrine appear central and important, could remain hypothetical if not supported by more robust observation in order to produce, truly, new knowledge. In the future we will deepen this study with a larger sample, and if these results will be confirmed, this approach could allow preventing, not only mental and physical disorders, but also immuno-mediated diseases, and, perhaps, cancer.

Work Stress, Mental Health and Validation of Professional Stress Scale (PSS) in an Italian-Speaking Teachers Sample.

This study aimed validate the Italian version of the Professional Stress Scale (PSS). A questionnaire was translated into Italian and administered to two sample groups. The first group (n = 200) was the control group and the second (n = 1137) the experimental group. The participants in the study were students enrolled in a special needs training teacher course or a specialization course that aims to train support teachers. The study conducted two analyses; factor and reliability analyses. The factor analysis utilized the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test which had a result of 0.925 for the scale; this was above the acceptable value of 0.7. The research studied 33 items and the BTS was significant for the 33 items scale (χ2 (528) = 4353.508, p < 0.001). Moreover, five eigenvalues greater than 1 were identified in the data, whereas the total variance explained was 63.7%. The reliability test utilized the Cronbach’s Alpha score (0.936) of the scale and the value is calculated based on the response of 1106 individuals. The value is well above the value of 0.80, which indicates a high internal consistency level of the different items of the scale. This study showed that the Italian version of the PSS is a reliable and valid measure that can be used for research and clinical purposes.

Psychometric Properties of the Korean Version of the Mental Health Professionals Stress Scale.

Background: Job stress of mental health professionals can have a negative impact on them, particularly their psychological health and mortality, and may also affect organizations' and institutions' ability to provide quality mental health services to patients.Aim: This study aimed to: (1) investigate the validity and reliability of the Korean Mental Health Professionals Stress Scale (K-MHPSS), (2) develop K-MHPSS cut-off points to measure clinical depression and anxiety, and (3) examine whether specific stressors vary by area of expertise.Methodology: Data were collected via an online survey over 3 months, from August to October 2020. An online survey using a survey website was administered to volunteers who accessed the link and consented to participate. Data from 558 participants (200 clinical psychologists, 157 nurses, and 201 social workers) were included in the final analysis. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were conducted to examine the factor structure of the K-MHPSS; concurrent validity of the scale was determined by analyzing correlation; internal consistency was determined by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. In addition, ROC curve analysis and Youden's index were used to estimate optimal cut-off points for K-MHPSS; one-way ANOVA was performed to investigate the difference among the three groups.Results: The seven-factor model of the original scale did not be replicated by Korean mental health professionals. The K-MHPSS had the best fit with the six-factor model, which consists of 34 items. Concurrent validity was confirmed, and overall reliability was found to be good. The K-MHPSS cut-off points for depression and anxiety appeared to slightly different by professional groups. Furthermore, nurses and social workers showed significantly higher total scores compared to clinical psychologists, and there are significant differences in subscale scores among professionals.Conclusion: The Korean version of the MHPSS has appropriate psychometric properties and can be used to assess the occupational stress of mental health professionals. It can also serve as a reference point for screening clinical level of depression and anxiety in mental health professionals.

Assessment of Occupational Stress in Medical Doctors Working in Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Nowadays, stress has commonly been assessed especially in medical doctors. The reason forthe same is that medical doctors have to play high competitive roles and in turn have so many responsibilitieskeeping in mind the holistic care to patients.Aim/objective: To assess occupational stress in medical doctors working in tertiary care hospital ofBhavnagar, Gujarat.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted during September 2017 to December2017 after prior approval of institutional ethics committee. Total 75, both male and female medical doctorswere enrolled as study participants after written informed consent and based on inclusion criteria. Along withcase record performa, self-administered pre-tested questionnaires having stress scale namely ProfessionalStress Scale (PSS) and Perceived Stress Scale 10 items (PSS-10) were given to all participants as a studytool. The data of scores received on scales was and entered in Microsoft excel and the same was analyzedby using GraphPad Prism 5 software for various proportions, associations and frequencies. The associationswere considered significant if the p value is less than 0.05.Results: Out of 75, total 50 participants filled and submitted the questionnaires. The mean age of participantswas 31.96 years. As per the stress scales used, moderate stress was observed among medical doctorsirrespective of sex. The commonest symptom observed among stressed doctors was sleep disturbances(insomnia).Conclusion: Moderate to mild stress was found among medical doctors. Stress in medical doctors is neverunderestimated irrespective of sex. Insomnia is the commonest symptom observed among stressed doctors.

The Moderating Role of Coping Strategies in Occupational Stress and Burnout among Mental Health Practitioners in Pakistan

The current study was aimed to observe the moderating role of coping strategies in occupational stress and burnout among mental health practitioners. It was also aimed to examine the relationship of demographic factors with occupational stress, burnout and coping strategies. Data was collected from 200 mental health practitioners (clinical psychologists and psychiatrists) from different government and private hospitals and rehabilitation centers situated in different cities of Pakistan. Three scales were used in the research, that is, Mental Health Professional Stress Scale to measure occupational stress, Brief Cope to measure coping strategies and Maslcah Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey to assess burnout. The results indicated that there is a strong positive correlation between occupational stress, burnout and emotion focused coping strategies. The analyses showed that coping strategies did not moderate the relation between occupational stress and burnout. In demographic variables, the variables of age, education, experience and work hours were significant. Younger mental health practitioners scored high on occupational stress, burnout and use of emotion focused coping strategies than older ones. In qualification and experience, less qualified and less experienced practitioners had more occupational stress, burnout and used emotion focused coping strategies than more qualified and more experienced practitioners. Those practitioners whose working hours were less had low occupational stress and burnout and used problem focused coping strategies.

الضغوط المهنیة لمعلمی التربیة الخاصة فی ضوء بعض المتغیرات (دراسة عبر ثقافیة) Special Education Teachers' Professional Stress in the Light of Some Variables ( A Cross-Cultural Study )

تهدف الدراسة الحالية إلى استقصاء الضغوط المهنية لمعلمي التربية الخاصة في کل من البيئة الثقافية السعودية والمصرية، ومعرفة الفروق في نوعية تلک الضغوط في هاتين البيئتين تبعا لمتغيرات فئة الإعاقة التي يعمل معها المعلم (عقلية وتوحد/ بصرية/ سمعية)، وجنس المعلم (ذکر/ أنثى)، وسنوات خبرة المعلم (أقل من 5 سنوات/ 5 سنوات فأکثر). وأجريت الدراسة على عينة قوامها (224) معلما ومعلمة من معلمي التربية الخاصة بجمهورية مصر العربية والمملکة العربية السعودية، واستخدمت الدراسة مقياس الضغوط المهنية لمعلمي التربية الخاصة (إعداد الباحث)، ولتحليل البيانات تم تطبيق اختبار ت، وتحليل التباين المتعدد MANOVA، واختبار شيفيه. وأظهرت النتائج أن أهم الضغوط في البيئتين السعودية والمصرية تمثلت في خصائص الأطفال ذوي الاحتياجات الخاصة، والعلاقة بأولياء أمورهم، ثم فطبيعة وأخيرا العلاقة المهنية بالزملاء والمدراء. وأظهرت ايضا وجود فروق دالة إحصائيا في الضغوط المهنية لمعلمي التربية الخاصة تعزى لمتغيري البيئة الثقافية وفئة الإعاقة لصالح المعلمين العاملين في البيئة المصرية، ولصالح معلمي فئة الإعاقة السمعية، وعدم وجود فروق دالة في التفاعل بينهما. ووجود فروق دالة إحصائيا تعزى لمتغيري البيئة الثقافية والجنس لصالح العاملين في البيئة المصرية، ولصالح المعلمات في بعد بيئة العمل، وعدم وجود فروق في التفاعل بين المتغيرين. ووجود فروق دالة إحصائيا تعزى لمتغيري البيئة الثقافية والخبرة لصالح العاملين في البيئة المصرية ولصالح ذوي الخبرة القصيرة. وتضمنت الدراسة مناقشة وتفسيرا لتلک النتائج، وخرج ببعض التوصيات والبحوث المقترحة. This study aimed at studying professional stress facing special education teachers in the Egyptian and Saudi cultural environments and its relation to some variables including category of children's disability, teacher's gender and experience. The study was applied to 224 special education teachers in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. It used the Special Education Teachers' Professional Stress Scale which was prepared by the researcher. T-test, MANOVA, Scheffe tests were used in statistical analysis of data. Results show that the most important stress in both Egyptian and Saudi environments are characteristics of children with special needs, teachers' relations with children's parents, environment, nature and finally the teachers' relations with their managers and colleagues. Results also show that there were statistically significant differences in professional stress attributed to the cultural and the category of children's disability in favour of the Egyptian and teachers working with children with hearing disability, but there were no statistically significant differences that can be attributed to the interaction between the two variables. There were also statistically significant differences attributed to the cultural and the teacher's gender in favour of teachers working in the Egyptian and in favour of females on the work environment dimension, but there no statistically significant differences that can be attributed to the interaction between the two variables. There were statistically significant differences attributed to the cultural and the teacher's experience in favour of the Egyptian and teachers with shorter experience. Results were discussed and explained. Recommendations are included.

A randomized comparative trial of Yoga and Naturopathy to reduce occupational stress

Stress at workplace is a relatively new phenomenon of modern lifestyles. The nature of work has gone through drastic changes over the last century and it is still changing at whirlwind speed. It has touched almost all professionals, starting from an artist to a surgeon, or a commercial pilot to a sales executive. Yoga which is a practical philosophy is the best way to combat the stress at the working place known as occupational stress. The century old Naturopathy is an effective and handy way to relieve stress and its related ailments. Total 12 patients working in the field of research were divided into two groups; in one group patients were made to practice Yoga therapy for 70 minutes per day. In the second group 6 patients underwent naturopathic treatment for 70 minutes per day. The treatment period in both groups was 21 days. All patients were advised for lifestyle and diet accordingly. Finally after the observation according to professional stress scale the symptoms of stress were significantly relieved in Yoga group as compared to naturopathy group.

The Impact of Mindfulness Meditation in Promoting a Culture of Safety on an Acute Psychiatric Unit

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program on managing work stress and improving patient outcomes. A one-group pre-/post-test design was used to measure the impact of the MBSR program. The Mental Health Professionals Stress Scale, the Sense of Self Scale, the Toronto Mindfulness Scale, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory were used. The MBSR class assisted staff in decreasing their stress levels and improve their self-care, which resulted in improved patient care. Increases in patient satisfaction and decreases in patient safety events were found.

Canonical correlation of professional stress,social support and somatic symptoms of sub-health status in Ningbo normal senior school teachers

Objective To explore the relationship of professional stress,social support and somatic symptoms of sub-health status of Ningbo normal senior school teachers. Methods 128 normal senior school teachers were selected and investigated by professional stress scale,social support scale and somatic symptoms of sub-health status scale, and canonical correlation analysis was used. Results The canonical correlation coefficient were 0.563, 0.471( P <0.01) with the existence of social support variable. The somatic symptoms of sub-health status would be greater with the rise of their professional stress and the decline of their social support. The canonical correlation coefficient was 0.497( P <0.01) with the elimination of social support variable. The factor loading of examination pressure,professional burden and career expectation in canonical variable ξ add to 0.801,0.855,0.726 respectively. The factor loading of feeling of fatigue,sleep disorders in canonical variable η add to 0.774,0.859 respectively. Conclusion The social support have adjustment function between the professional stress and somatic symptoms of sub-health status. Key words: Professional stress; Social support; Sub-health; Canonical correlation

Practitioners Who Work with Parents with Intellectual Disability: Stress, Coping and Training Needs

Background Challenges for practitioners who work with parents with intellectual disability arise from several sources. The purpose of the current study was to identify the stressors experienced by practitioners who work with parents with intellectual disability in Australia, investigate coping strategies and explore training needs so as to inform professional development for this group.Materials and Methods Fifty‐eight, predominantly female Australian practitioners, completed a questionnaire, which included a demographics section and training questions (developed specifically for this study), in addition to the Mental Health Professionals Stress Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Brief COPE.Results The main stressors experienced by practitioners were workload, client‐related difficulties and organizational structure and processes. Although practitioners indicated that they required additional training in 15 areas, one area was highlighted as particularly important, that is, tailoring interventions to individual parent needs and goals.Conclusions It is suggested that managers, service planners, educators and professionals involved in stress reduction be aware that this area may be the focal point of future training of practitioners who work with parents with intellectual disability.

Can identified stressors be used to predict profession for mental health professionals?

A difference appears to exist between stressors reported for nurses and allied health professionals working in mental health. Prominent stressors for mental health nurses include workload, administration duties and a lack of resources. Whilst these also appear to be stressors for allied health professionals, the stressor 'professional self-doubt' has also been reported for social workers. This study aimed to examine the extent to which community mental health professionals could be identified as belonging to the nursing profession or an allied health profession based on their perceived sources of stress. Ninety-eight community mental health nurses and 85 allied health professionals working in Victoria's public mental health services completed the Mental Health Professionals Stress Scale. Discriminant analysis was utilised to test the predictive value of stressors to identify profession. The main stressors reported by nurses were workload, a lack of resources and organisational problems. For allied health professionals the highest reported stressors were workload, a lack of resources, client related difficulties and organisational problems. Mental health professionals in this study could not be identified as belonging to the nursing profession or an allied health profession based on their identified sources of stress. It could well be reflective of the shift to homogenous roles in mental health services. With this being the case, there may be benefits in implementing stress reducing strategies at an organisational level.

Situational levels of burnout among staff in six European inpatient and community mental health teams

Working in mental health services has always been recognised as a stressful occupation and many studies have attested to the high levels of stress and burnout. This study examined comparative levels of stress among inpatient and community mental health staff across five European countries.Using a quasi experimental pre‐test post‐test design, data was collected from staff at baseline, six months and 12 months. This paper examines data from the baseline period. Staff working in acute inpatient wards and community mental health teams in Denmark (Aarhus, Storstrøm), Finland (Tampere), Norway (Bodo), Poland (Warsaw) and the UK (Cambridge), were asked to complete the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) (Maslach, &amp; Jackson, 1986), the Mental Health Professional Stress Scale (Cushway, Tyler &amp; Nolan, 1996) and a demographic questionnaire designed for this study. Results on the MBI are reported in this article. Both community and inpatient teams reported high levels of burnout. There was evidence to suggest that burnout differed by site but not by team type. The English teams scored highest in emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. Relatively high levels of work‐related personal accomplishment were reported across all of the sites.