Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jul-Dec;32(2):354-360.
doi: 10.4103/ipj.ipj_31_22. Epub 2023 Jul 12.

Work-life balance among mental health professionals in a tertiary care neuropsychiatry centre in India

Rajamanikandan Savarimalai  1 , Jayakumar Christy  2 , Binukumar Bhaskarapillai  3 , Dinakaran Damodharan  2 , Kasi Sekar  1
Affiliations

Work-life balance among mental health professionals in a tertiary care neuropsychiatry centre in India

Rajamanikandan Savarimalai et al. Ind Psychiatry J. 2023 Jul-Dec.

Abstract

Background: Stress and distress are common among Mental Health Professionals (MHP). MHPs avoid seeking professional help to address their stress, leading to increased vulnerability to stress and mental health conditions. Inadequately addressed stress directly impacts their service delivery and well-being. However, a serious dearth of literature from India has examined the extent of work-life balance (WLB) stress and psychological distress (PD) among MHP.

Aim: This cross-sectional study aims to assess WLB and examine the relationship between perceived stress (PS), PD, burnout, and WLB among MHP in a tertiary care neuropsychiatry center.

Methods: Using stratified random sampling, 101 MHP were evaluated using Pareek's work-life balance scale, Stamm's professional quality of life (ProQoL) scale, WHO's self-reporting questionnaire, and Cohen's perceived stress scale. Data were analyzed using appropriate parametric or non-parametric tests.

Results: The overall mean score on WLB was 80.45 (SD = 10.21), the PS scale was 24.86 (SD = 6.87), the burnout score was 22.68 (SD = 6), the ST score was 21.18 (SD = 6.35), and PD score was 5.07 (SD = 5.23). The level of WLB score was average to below average among 64% of participants. There is a positive correlation between WLB and compassion satisfaction (CS) and a negative correlation between ST and PS. The study found that the nature of the job, CS, and PD shall predict WLB.

Conclusion: Stress, burnout, ProQoL, and WLB of MHPs vary significantly by job, income, and staying with family, indicating that MHPs are equally vulnerable to stress and burnout and imbalanced WLB, which require appropriate interventions.

Keywords: Mental health professionals; Mental hospital; Perceived stress; Psychological distress; Work-life balance.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Byrne DG, Davenport SC, Mazanov J. Profiles of adolescent stress: The development of the adolescent stress questionnaire (ASQ) J Adolesc. 2007;30:393–416. - PubMed
    1. Starmer AJ, Frintner MP, Matos K, Somberg C, Freed G, Byrne BJ. Gender discrepancies related to pediatrician work-life balance and household responsibilities. Pediatrics. 2019;144:e20182926. - PubMed
    1. Starmer AJ, Frintner MP, Freed GL. Work-life balance, burnout, and satisfaction of early career pediatricians. Pediatrics. 2016;137:e20153183. - PubMed
    1. Weale VP, Wells YD, Oakman J. The work-life interface: A critical factor between work stressors and job satisfaction. Pers Rev. 2019;48:880–97.
    1. Gururaj G, Varghese M, Benegal V, Rao GN, Pathak K, Singh LK, et al. National Mental Health Survey of India, 2015-16: Mental Health Systems. Bengaluru: National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, NIMHANS Publication No. 130; 2016. Misra R and NMHS collaborators group.