Burnout in the Mental Health Workforce: a Review

Overview

Journal J Behav Health Serv Res

Publisher Springer

Specialty Health Services

Date 2009 Dec 17

PMID 20013066

Citations 55

Authors

Manuel Paris Jr

Michael A Hoge

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

There are enormous concerns regarding the recruitment, retention, training, and performance of the behavioral health workforce. Paramount among these concerns is turnover, which causes disruption in continuity of care, diminishes access to care while a position remains vacant, and poses financial hardship on the provider organization through costs related to recruitment, orientation, and training of a new hire. There is frequent mention of burnout within the literature and among behavioral health managers as a potential cause of turnover. However, there is no recent or comprehensive review of burnout that examines the evidence surrounding its validity, utility, and potential relationship to turnover. The purpose of this paper is to provide such a review by examining the construct of burnout, methodological and measurement issues, its prevalence in the mental health workforce, correlates of burnout, and interventions to decrease it. The implications for provider organizations and recommendations for future research are identified.

Citing Articles

COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Sickness Absences Among Healthcare Workers: A Cohort Study in a Spanish Hospital (2018-2023).

Lopez-Millan B, Benavides F, Ramada J, Serra C, Serra L, Utzet M Med Lav. 2025; 116(1).

PMID: 39992196 PMC: 11883835. DOI: 10.23749/mdl.v116i1.16525.

Interdisciplinarity and self-injury: Toward an inclusive research and treatment paradigm.

Roberts C, Larsh M, Symons F J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2025; 49(4):378-390.

PMID: 39815944 PMC: 11739632. DOI: 10.3109/13668250.2024.2370564.

Environmental Factors for Sustained Telehealth Use in Mental Health Services: A Mixed Methods Analysis.

Werkmeister B, Haase A, Fleming T, Officer T Int J Telemed Appl. 2024; 2024:8835933.

PMID: 39314675 PMC: 11419844. DOI: 10.1155/2024/8835933.

Policy Recommendations for Coordinated and Sustainable Growth of the Behavioral Health Workforce.

Last B, Crable E Milbank Q. 2024; 102(3):526-543.

PMID: 39041367 PMC: 11576582. DOI: 10.1111/1468-0009.12711.

Occupational health staff's involvement contributes to supervisor's perceived organizational support in Japanese workforce: a prospective cohort study.

Mori T, Nagata T, Odagami K, Adi N, Mori K J Occup Health. 2024; 66(1).

PMID: 38981848 PMC: 11360596. DOI: 10.1093/joccuh/uiae035.

References

. Employee turnover in community mental health organization: a developmental stages study. Community Ment Health J. 1994; 30(3):243-57. DOI: 10.1007/BF02188885. View

Blankertz L, Robinson S . Turnover intentions of community mental health workers in psychosocial rehabilitation services. Community Ment Health J. 1998; 33(6):517-29. DOI: 10.1023/a:1025000703487. View

Sweeney G, Nichols K . Stress experiences of occupational therapists in mental health practice arenas: a review of the literature. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 1996; 42(2):132-40. DOI: 10.1177/002076409604200207. View

Hyrkas K . Clinical supervision, burnout, and job satisfaction among mental health and psychiatric nurses in Finland. Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2005; 26(5):531-56. DOI: 10.1080/01612840590931975. View

Scarnera P, Bosco A, Soleti E, Lancioni G . Preventing burnout in mental health workers at interpersonal level: an Italian pilot study. Community Ment Health J. 2009; 45(3):222-7. DOI: 10.1007/s10597-008-9178-z. View

Keane A, DuCette J, Adler D . Stress in ICU and non-ICU nurses. Nurs Res. 1985; 34(4):231-6. View

Edwards D, Burnard P, Hannigan B, Cooper L, Adams J, Juggessur T . Clinical supervision and burnout: the influence of clinical supervision for community mental health nurses. J Clin Nurs. 2006; 15(8):1007-15. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2006.01370.x. View

Reid Y, Johnson S, Morant N, Kuipers E, Szmukler G, Bebbington P . Improving support for mental health staff: a qualitative study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 1999; 34(6):309-15. DOI: 10.1007/s001270050149. View

Rabin S, Feldman D, Kaplan Z . Stress and intervention strategies in mental health professionals. Br J Med Psychol. 1999; 72(2):159-69. DOI: 10.1348/000711299159916. View

10.

Evans S, Huxley P, Gately C, Webber M, Mears A, Pajak S . Mental health, burnout and job satisfaction among mental health social workers in England and Wales. Br J Psychiatry. 2006; 188:75-80. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.188.1.75. View

11.

Martin U, Schinke S . Organizational and individual factors influencing job satisfaction and burnout of mental health workers. Soc Work Health Care. 1998; 28(2):51-62. DOI: 10.1300/J010v28n02_04. View

12.

Macinick C, Macinick J . Strategies for burnout prevention in the mental health setting. Int Nurs Rev. 1990; 37(2):247-9, 246. View

13.

Edwards D, Burnard P, Coyle D, Fothergill A, Hannigan B . Stress and burnout in community mental health nursing: a review of the literature. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2000; 7(1):7-14. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2850.2000.00258.x. View

14.

Corrigan P, Holmes E, Luchins D . Burnout and collegial support in state psychiatric hospital staff. J Clin Psychol. 1995; 51(5):703-10. DOI: 10.1002/1097-4679(199509)51:5<703::aid-jclp2270510516>3.0.co;2-p. View

15.

Dickinson T, Wright K . Stress and burnout in forensic mental health nursing: a literature review. Br J Nurs. 2008; 17(2):82-7. DOI: 10.12968/bjon.2008.17.2.28133. View

16.

Wykes T, Stevens W, Everitt B . Stress in community care teams: will it affect the sustainability of community care?. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 1998; 32(7):398-407. DOI: 10.1007/BF00788180. View

17.

Prosser D, Johnson S, Kuipers E, Dunn G, Szmukler G, Reid Y . Mental health, "burnout" and job satisfaction in a longitudinal study of mental health staff. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 1999; 34(6):295-300. DOI: 10.1007/s001270050147. View

18.

Kilfedder C, Power K, Wells T . Burnout in psychiatric nursing. J Adv Nurs. 2001; 34(3):383-96. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2648.2001.01769.x. View

19.

Blankertz L, Robinson S . Recruitment and retention of psychosocial rehabilitation workers. Adm Policy Ment Health. 1997; 24(3):221-34. DOI: 10.1007/BF02042475. View

20.

Duquette A, Kerouac S, Sandhu B, Ducharme F, Saulnier P . Psychosocial determinants of burnout in geriatric nursing. Int J Nurs Stud. 1995; 32(5):443-56. DOI: 10.1016/0020-7489(95)00006-j. View