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. 2024 May 12;31(3):327-380.
doi: 10.1080/13218719.2024.2335913. eCollection 2024.

The privilege and the pressure: judges' and magistrates' reflections on the sources and impacts of stress in judicial work

Carly Schrever  1 , Carol Hulbert  1 , Tania Sourdin  2
Affiliations

The privilege and the pressure: judges' and magistrates' reflections on the sources and impacts of stress in judicial work

Carly Schrever et al. Psychiatr Psychol Law. .

Abstract

There is growing evidence that judges and magistrates experience both high stress and high satisfaction in their work; however, the subjective experience of judicial stress and the cultural and professional factors shaping that experience remain largely unexamined. This qualitative study builds upon earlier quantitative research with the Australian judiciary, by exploring judges' and magistrates' perceptions of the sources and impacts of judicial stress and their ideas for court responses. Thematic analysis of 59 in-depth interviews with judicial officers from five Australian courts revealed eight themes pertaining to the better understanding and management of occupational stress within the judiciary. Implications for courts and individual judicial officers are discussed.

Keywords: judges; judicial job satisfaction; judicial stress; judicial wellbeing; magistrates; qualitative research; systemic intervention; thematic analysis; workload stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

Carly Schrever has declared no conflicts of interest Carol Hulbert has declared no conflicts of interest Tania Sourdin has declared no conflicts of interest

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