title: Demands, control, supportive relationships and well-being amongst British mental health workers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Staff well-being is considered to be a potential problem within mental health occupations, and its variability is in need of investigation. Our starting point is to assess the role of demands, control and supportive relationships that are at the core of Karasek's model. The study aims to assess the relationship amongst mental health workers of job demands, control and support (from peers and superiors) with multiple measures of well-being.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained through a self-completion questionnaire from mental health staff in 100 inpatient wards, 18 crisis resolution/home treatment teams and 18 community mental health teams. The data was analysed using multilevel regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Job demands (negatively), control (positively) and supportive relationships (positively) are each uniquely associated with the five measures of well-being included in the study: namely intrinsic satisfaction, anxiety, depression, emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment. Non-linear and interaction effects involving these demands, control and supportive relationships are found, but vary in type and strength across well-being measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combination of low levels of demands and high levels of control and supportive relationships is good for the well-being of mental health staff. Our results suggest that management initiatives in mental health services should be targeted at creating this combination within the working environment, and particularly at increasing levels of job control.
authors.affiliation: School of Management, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK. s.j.wood@le.ac.uk
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stride
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Threapleton
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wearn
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nolan
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Osborn
authors.forename: Moli
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008503:Medical Staff / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce