Psychosis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Psychosis, including details on clinical depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder.

Expressed emotion and burnout: the experience of staff caring for men with learning disability and psychosis in a medium secure setting.

Dennis AM, Leach C

Yorkshire Centre for Forensic Psychiatry, South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust, Wakefield, UK. anne.dennis@swyt.nhs.uk

This study examines the level of expressed emotion (EE) and burnout in staff caring for people with learning disabilities on a medium secure unit. The study aims to develop a baseline measure of EE and burnout in staff on the unit to be used for future service evaluation and to underpin interventions in the developing service based on psychosocial interventions. Ten staff participated in an audiotaped interview and completed a questionnaire. The Five Minute Speech Sample and Maslach Burnout Inventory were completed. High EE was evident in 31% of responses based on critical comments and negative relationships. Expressed emotion was higher in male staff and in Health Care Support Workers. No staff met all components for high burnout, but low personal accomplishment, high emotional exhaustion and high depersonalization were evident for some staff. There is evidence of high EE and some elements of high burnout within the staff team. A significant relationship was found between the level of high EE and the depersonalization element of burnout.

Published 13 April 2007 in J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs, 14(3): 267-76.
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