Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Doctoral Research Paper

Degree Name

Psy.D.

Organizational Unit

Graduate School of Professional Psychology

First Advisor

Gwen Mitchell

Second Advisor

Kathryn Barrs

Third Advisor

Bridget B. Matarazzo

Keywords

Suicide prevention, Burnout, Well-being, Productivity, Crisis, Employee turnover

Abstract

While high staff turnover rates within the suicide prevention field negatively impact service delivery, they are poorly understood. Hotlines and other crisis-focused organizations cannot pinpoint what impacts well-being and productivity reliably across organizations or, rather, what creates an intersection of high points of productivity and well-being. This study employed a qualitative phenomenological approach to identify the impact of well-being and productivity amongst current and former crisis workers at a statewide hotline. Results revealed three major themes expressed by participants surrounding well-being; management support, communication, and self-regulation. Specific to productivity, participants expressed skill set and empathy as important themes related to high rates of productiveness.

The findings contribute to the existing literature by providing insights into the factors that influence the well-being and productivity of crisis workers. The study underscores the significance of the themes in fostering positive outcomes for crisis workers. These results can inform the preliminary development of supportive strategies, interventions, and policies to enhance the well-being and productivity of crisis workers in crisis hotline settings. Bringing attention to the experiences of crisis workers can provide valuable insights into the work environment, skill set requirements, and implications for the field of crisis intervention. These insights can then guide future efforts to improve the support provided to crisis workers in their crucial task of assisting individuals in crisis situations.

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Extent

45 pgs



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