- Title
- The psychological impact of judicial work: Australia's first empirical research measuring judicial stress and wellbeing
- Creator
- Schrever, Carly; Hulbert, Carol; Sourdin, Tania
- Relation
- Journal of Judicial Administration Vol. 28, p. 141-168
- Publisher
- Lawbook Co
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2019
- Description
- This article presents the methodology and primary quantitative analysis of Australia's first empirical research measuring judicial stress and wellbeing. The findings arise from the survey of 152 judges and magistrates from five Australian courts. Using standardised and validated psychometric instruments for a broad range of stress constructs, the survey robustly explored the varying ways in which stress in judicial office can manifest, allowing comparisons with the Australian legal profession and general population. The results suggest that, like lawyers, judges and magistrates report elevated psychological distress and problematic alcohol use, and that symptoms of burnout and secondary trauma are prominent features of the judicial stress experience. However, unlike the broader legal profession, judicial officers' rates of depressive and anxious symptoms are relatively low. Together, the findings reveal a judicial system not yet in mental health crisis, but under considerable stress. The implications of the findings and areas for future research are discussed.
- Subject
- psychological impact on judicial work; judicial stress; wellbeing; Australia
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1442390
- Identifier
- uon:41674
- Identifier
- ISSN:1036-7918
- Language
- eng
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