Sources of Distress for Secure Mental Healthcare Staff: A Cross-Sectional Study of the Impact of Personal and Occupational Problems on Psychological Wellbeing and Functioning

Despite a global drive to improve staff well-being in healthcare, distress and absenteeism continue to persist, posing consequences for patient care and organisational functioning. Current research and subsequent strategies implemented to remediate such problems have primarily focused on occupational experiences, disregarding the contribution of problems occurring outside of the workplace. The current study sought to establish the prevalence of work and non-work problems, and their respective impacts on several well-being outcomes, in this occupational group. Secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional survey of 323 staff in a secure UK mental healthcare organisation was conducted. Exposure to non-work problems was pervasive across the sample (79.3%). Demographic discrepancies in exposure to types of problems were apparent, though number of problems reported was comparable across the sample. Number of non-work problems was a significant predictor of depression, anxiety, functional impairment, and complex post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, when controlling for exposure to work problems. The findings implicate the need for a broader conceptualisation of distress in secure mental healthcare staff, who typically report exposure to several non-work problems, in the context of occupational challenges. Policy, practice and service implications are discussed, with consideration for the availability and modality of support offered to staff.