Indigenous AOD workers wellbeing, stress and burnout

Indigenous Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) workers wellbeing, stress and burnout project

This project was being undertaken at the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA) at Flinders University to identify the key antecedents and consequences of stress, burnout and wellbeing among Indigenous and non-Indigenous AOD and generic health workers who see a high proportion of Indigenous clients.

Participants and key stakeholders indicated that they were pleased to have been provided with this unique opportunity to give their opinion on how being an Indigenous worker and working with clients on AOD issues, impacts on them personally. The following is a typical example of some of those comments: “I’ve been working in this field for 18 years and this is the first time we as workers have ever been asked to tell our story.”

The primary aims and objectives of the project were to:

• explore and report on the experiences of stress, burnout and wellbeing among Indigenous AOD and generic health workers
• explore and report on the experiences of stress, burnout and wellbeing among non-Indigenous AOD and generic health workers who have a high proportion of Indigenous clients
• develop an information base to inform strategies to improve worker wellbeing and reduce stress and burnout for those people working in the Indigenous AOD field.

The project included:

• a call for submissions in April–June 2008
• an online survey of Indigenous and non-Indigenous (who see a high proportion of Indigenous clients) health workers in the AOD field on their views about factors that contribute to stress and wellbeing in the workplace, and
• a series of in-depth interviews and focus groups with frontline workers.

Related resources:

• Skinner, N. & Roche, A. M. 2005, Stress and Burnout: A Prevention Handbook for the Alcohol and Other Drugs Workforce. National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA) PDF, Flinders University, Adelaide.
• National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA) website