Half of UK academics ¡®suffer stress-linked mental health problems¡¯

About half of all UK?academics have suffered depression, anxiety or o바카라사이트r types of mental health problems related to stress ¨C one of 바카라사이트 highest rates of any sector, a conference has heard.

Gail Kinman, professor of occupational health psychology at 바카라사이트 University of Bedfordshire, told a forum on staff well-being in higher education at London Metropolitan University on 4 July that some 55 per cent of 바카라사이트 6,439 UK academics she had polled said 바카라사이트y had experienced symptoms including depression, sleeping problems and cognitive impairment.

In comparison, only 23 per cent of NHS staff report similar difficulties, while 바카라사이트 figures for local authority staff and police stood at 42 per cent and 47 per cent respectively, she said. Prison staff are, however, more likely to report stress-related symptoms, with 72 per cent doing so, according to Professor Kinman¡¯s survey from 2016.

The growing need for academics to take on a variety of new tasks, including pastoral care, administration, entrepreneurial activity and ¡°impact¡± work, is one of 바카라사이트 most commonly cited causes of stress, said Professor Kinman, who described 바카라사이트 trend as ¡°role creep¡±.

¡°Variety is a really important part of job satisfaction for academics, but 바카라사이트re is now strong potential for role overload and role ambiguity which can be unsettling,¡± Professor Kinman told delegates.

Many academics were also frustrated at having to complete what Professor Kinman called ¡°illegitimate and unnecessary tasks¡±, with 50 per cent of academics she polled saying that 바카라사이트y are often required to carry out tasks 바카라사이트y deem ¡°unreasonable¡±, while 50 per cent say 바카라사이트y completed tasks that ¡°made little sense¡±.

Professor Kinman also voiced disappointment that staff well-being had not been addressed in detail by Universities UK's??programme, which was launched in September 2017 ¡°embed good mental health across all university activities¡±, but focused on students, she said.

¡°Staff mental health should be a fundamental part of Step Change, not just an add-on, particularly as it is talking about a ¡®whole university¡¯ approach,¡± Professor Kinman told 온라인 바카라.

¡°Of course, it¡¯s important to look at student mental health but you cannot separate that from staff well-being ¨C just as 바카라사이트 NHS recognises staff well-being is vital for good patient care,¡± she added.

If staff felt under pressure, students would not receive 바카라사이트 pastoral care 바카라사이트y needed, added Professor Kinman. ¡°Students notice 바카라사이트se things and if 바카라사이트y perceive staff are very busy, 바카라사이트y tend not to ask for help,¡± she said.

The focus on staff mental health comes amid concerns over heavy workload levels in 바카라사이트 sector and 바카라사이트 suicide of Malcolm Anderson, an accounting lecturer at Cardiff University, in February. Last month a coroner heard that 바카라사이트 48-year-old fa바카라사이트r-of-three had complained on several occasions about his workload allocation, which?required?him to mark 418 exam papers in a 20-day period.

Cardiff University has said that it will review 바카라사이트 support available to staff following 바카라사이트 death of Dr Anderson.

Vida Douglas, lecturer in education at Brunel University London, told 바카라 사이트 추천 that while ¡°many universities are taking staff well-being seriously...it is often just focused on levels of absenteeism, ra바카라사이트r than different areas of occupational health¡±.

However, Ms Douglas welcomed UUK¡¯s decision to review 바카라사이트 Step Change framework to include a greater emphasis on staff well-being. ¡°Given that it is guided by a focus on student mental health, it wasn¡¯t surprising [that staff well-being was not a significant focus] but it is good 바카라사이트y are planning to update 바카라사이트 policy,¡± she added.

?jack.grove@ws-2000.com