Occupational stress with mental health clients in acute response

This project started in November 2001 and ended in November 2004. Occupational stress features highly in both the hospital and community-based mental health workforce, particularly with respect to violent severely mentally ill clients. This project aimed to address the problem of occupational stress by producing European comparative baseline data, and by developing and evaluating trans– European training packages, which include standardised and effective stress reduction and risk assessment procedures. Objectives are to evaluate on a European, transnational basis levels of occupational stress and burnout, to examine the aetological factors which precipitate the occurrence of violent behaviour, to examine the efficacy of risk management strategies, and to develop and evaluate effective stress reduction training packages. The method was a quasi-experimental research study. Outputs include a European database, standardised and evaluated risk assessment and tress reduction training packages.