Exploring Well-Being: Resilience, Stress, and Self-Care in Occupational Therapy Practitioners and Students
Evguenia S. Popova, Bridget Hahn, Hannah R. Morris, Katharine Loomis, Erin Shy, Julia Andrews, Marissa Iacullo, Abigail Peters
Abstract
Burnout is increasingly documented in occupational therapy (OT); however, practitioner and student well-being have not been examined to date. The research aim was to explore the relationship between well-being, resilience, stress, and self-care in OT. For this purpose, a cross-sectional survey of practitioners and students was done, including a background survey, World Health Organization–5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5), Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Mindful Self-Care Scale (MSCS). Open-ended questions and Visual Analog Scales were used to gather satisfaction and service access. Practitioners ( n = 235) and students ( n = 200) reported well-being “less than half of the time” on the WHO-5, “moderate” stress on the PSS, and “normal” resilience on the BRS. The BRS, PSS, and MSCS explained a significant proportion of variance on the WHO-5 for practitioners and students. Most participants used at least one self-care strategy and desired additional organizational services. The findings of elevated stress and decreased well-being underscore the importance of reimagining wellness initiatives in OT.