The structures and processes of the world of work have been undergoing change for several decades. These changes have also been accompanied by an increase in mental stress among employees. Increasing attention is therefore being paid to the links between mental stress and health. Stress and burnout in particular are being discussed as relevant phenomena in this context.

Mental health professionals are also confronted with a variety of stress factors in their day-to-day work. The experience of stress and burnout in this professional field has been continuously discussed for many years, e.g. in relevant journals. In contrast to this, however, the empirical data situation with regard to the mental stress of mental health professionals is deficient both quantitatively and qualitatively. There is also hardly any reliable empirical knowledge with regard to specific occupational stress factors and the associated perception of stress.

This situation was the starting point for a nationwide online study with the aim of updating the relevant data. In the course of this survey, which took place in 2012, data was collected on the assessment of mental stress among mental health professionals. The survey focused in particular on the level of stress and the extent of burnout. Furthermore, the participating professionals were asked about their work-related stress factors and the associated level of stress. In addition to these central questions, the study also looked at other aspects that were also considered important. These included the general state of health, health complaints, satisfaction with the work situation and the assessment of one's own ability to work until retirement age.

The results of the study were published as a book and can be obtained from Verlag Empirische Pädagogik (VEP):

Dahl, C. (2017). Self-care for mental health professionals. A study on psychological stress and occupational stress factors and evaluation of a health promotion measure to strengthen self-care as part of a randomized controlled trial. Landau: Verlag Empirische Pädagogik.