Enhancing retention of occupational therapists working in mental health: relationships between wellbeing at work and turnover intention.
BACKGROUND/AIM
Occupational therapists working in mental health who experience burnout, low work engagement or poor job satisfaction are at risk of poor wellbeing at work and may be more likely to leave their jobs. The aim of this project was to explore factors associated with wellbeing at work and turnover intention in a sample of occupational therapists working in mental health.


METHODS
One hundred and three occupational therapists working in mental health in Queensland completed a survey exploring work/life balance, effort invested in work, rewards received from work, wellbeing at work (job satisfaction, burnout and work engagement) and turnover intention. Analyses were conducted to explore relationships between work/life balance, effort, reward, wellbeing at work and turnover intention.


RESULTS
All measures of wellbeing at work were significantly associated with turnover intention. A large proportion (33%) of the variance in turnover intention was predicted by job satisfaction. Perceptions of both work/life balance and effort invested in work, as well as perceived rewards in terms of recognition, prestige and personal satisfaction were significantly associated with work-related wellbeing scores.


CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Results from this study deepen the understanding of factors associated with wellbeing at work and turnover intention for occupational therapists in mental health. This knowledge will support the development of interventions aimed at reducing turnover intention and enhancing retention of occupational therapists in the mental health workforce.
['Scanlan|Justin Newton|JN|', 'Meredith|Pamela|P|', 'Poulsen|Anne A|AA|']
D000328:Adult D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel D002055:Burnout, Professional D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007588:Job Satisfaction D008297:Male D008605:Mental Health Services D008875:Middle Aged D009788:Occupational Therapy D010465:Perception D010563:Personnel Turnover D017149:Private Sector D017150:Public Sector D011793:Queensland D012959:Socioeconomic Factors D013997:Time Factors D016526:Workload
burnout work engagement job satisfaction workforce psychiatry