|
Abstract
|
INTRODUCTION: Social shaming can impair caregivers' performance. The prevalence of shaming experienced by mental health workers and the relationships to their function or burnout are unknown.
AIM: To examine the associations between exposure to social shaming and bullying by patients, the risk appraisal of negative impact of this behavior, burnout, professional functioning, and intention to leave among mental health workers.
METHOD: In this cross-sectional study, 122 workers from a psychiatric hospital completed a questionnaire.
RESULTS: Participants reported exposure to social shaming and bullying by patients on a regular basis. Shaming and bullying were significantly associated with lower professional functioning and higher intention to leave, while burnout may at least partially mediate the association between these variables.
CONCLUSIONS: The phenomenon of shaming and bullying of mental health workers by patients is common and is associated with lower functioning and higher burnout, which have a negative impact on the patient-caregiver interaction. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: There is a need to establish a policy for early detection of shaming of mental health workers in order to prevent burnout or intention to leave. Evidence based interventions, such as the Safewards model, accompanied by assessment of their effectiveness, may help in this effort.
Language: en |