Women and men in mental healthcare and their perceptions of success and failure

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate mental healthcare workers' perceptions of success and failure in their work performance and in relations with clients. The study has a qualitative design, using focus groups and individual interviews from 49 informants. To maintain the rich nature of the data, we used content analysis to identify “meaning units”, categories, subthemes and themes. The results indicated that mental healthcare work challenges women and men in different ways, including in their relationships with their clients and in their approach to work. The women in this study were more oriented towards taking care of clients, whereas the men were oriented towards management. Women regarded feedback from management to be crucial for successful work performance, and they felt that exhausting work is a factor in failure. Men indicated that they are more likely to perform their roles successfully when they can voice their opinions to managers, and they are less likely to fail when managers challenge them on quality. Women reported that good communication skills are important for successful relationships with clients and that neglecting signs of deterioration may lead to failure. Men felt that continuity of care is important for successful client relationships, whereas excessive workloads may undermine them. Understanding the conditions that lead to success and failure in mental healthcare is important for worker satisfaction, maintaining a stable staff and better working milieu, and making better use of limited resources – all of which will lead to better care for people with mental illness.

Keywords:

• mental healthcare
• relations
• work performance
• success
• failure