Stress, drink, leave: An examination of gender-specific risk factors for mental health problems and attrition among licensed attorneys

Examination of factors related to problem drinking among the working population: The Japanese civil servants study

Problem drinking affects not only the health of a population but also the productivity of a nation, especially if it is rampant among the working population. This study examines the association between problem drinking and work characteristics, work-family status, and social situations among the Japanese working population. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed on the basis of gender on 3136 participants (men: 65.1%, women: 34.9%) adopted from the Japanese Civil Servants Study in 2014 (response rate: 87.8%), to examine the factors related to problem drinking, after adjusting for frequency and quantity of drinking. Problem drinking was assessed using the Cutdown, Annoyed, Guilty, and Eye-opener (CAGE) questionnaire. The presence of problem drinking was found in 24.3% of men and 10.3% of women. The analysis showed that in men, poor work performance (OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.00-1.79), high family-to-work conflict (OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.14-2.09), and high work-to-family conflict (OR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.14-2.34) were significantly associated with problem drinking, whereas in women, high work-to-family conflict (OR: 2.45, 95% CI: 1.21-4.95) was significantly associated with problem drinking. Although the number of close friends is negatively associated with problem drinking in women, the significance disappeared in the fully adjusted model. It can be concluded that it is important for both men and women to strike a balance between work and family life. Moreover, owing to gender differences, work performance may be important for men, and the presence of close friends may be important for women, in reducing the risk of problem drinking.

Towards a context-specific approach to understanding lawyers' well-being: a synthesis review and future research agenda

Legal sector organisations face mounting pressure to protect and promote lawyers' well-being. However, knowledge is fragmented, hindering research and practice development. Our review investigated current conceptual understanding and empirical evidence of contextual influences. We systematically mapped the global scholarly and grey literature published since 1970, reviewing 145 relevant publications. Lawyers' well-being is conceptualised primarily as ill-being, despite well-being's positive facets. Empirical consideration of work context is mostly absent, though we deduce a focus on large commercial law firm practice and public service/legal aid. Our explanatory synthesis is abductive, coalescing Bourdieu's concepts of field and habitus with Hobfoll's conservation of resources theory to explain how context influences lawyers' well-being via distinct resource losses. We urge theoretical development to elucidate the role of context and theory-driven research on the cumulative effects of resource loss and gain. Recommendations for practice include a renewed focus on job design and line management upskilling.

Stressed, Lonely, and Overcommitted: Predictors of Lawyer Suicide Risk

Suicide is a significant public health concern, and lawyers have been shown to have an elevated risk for contemplating it. In this study, we sought to identify predictors of suicidal ideation in a sample consisting of 1962 randomly selected lawyers. Using logistic regression analysis, we found that high levels of work overcommitment, high levels of perceived stress, loneliness as measured by the UCLA loneliness scale, and being male were all significantly associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation. These results suggest that interventions aimed at reducing work overcommitment, stress, and loneliness, and addressing gender-specific risk factors, may be effective in reducing the risk of suicidal ideation among lawyers. Further research is needed to expand upon these findings and to develop and test interventions specifically tailored to the needs of this population.

Too stressed to de-stress? The experience of work stress and recovery among attorneys during the COVID-19 pandemic

It is well-established that legal professionals experience high stress and often high rates of associated health problems. Much less is known about attitudes and behaviours around stress prevention in this occupation. Our study examined views of stress and recovery among 131 U.S. attorneys. In open-ended data, attorneys commonly expressed that their job is very demanding, and it impacts their health. Many respondents felt it was important to manage their stress but had difficulty doing so. Quantitative analyses showed that attitudes about stress (stress-related comparisons, viewing stress as achievement, stress-related impression management, and stigma around stress concerns) demonstrated several significant relationships with perceived stress, recovery experiences, remorse for relaxation, and work-family conflict. Our findings suggest that practical interventions to support the health and well-being of legal professionals may need to target the workload norms, as well as attitudes and beliefs about the normalness of high stress and insufficient recovery.

The impact of Covid-19 pandemic on overall well-being of practicing lawyers

Every day lawyers provide counsel and advocacy to individuals, groups, and businesses in a multitude of settings. From court room to board room, attorneys are relied upon to guide their clients through difficult situations. In doing this, attorneys all too often internalize the stresses of those that they help. The legal system has long been considered a stressful occupation. This stressful environment was further taxed by the wider societal disruptions in 2020 as we dealt with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond the illness itself, the pandemic forced widespread court closures and made it more difficult to communicate with clients. Based upon a survey of the membership of the Kentucky Bar Association, this paper considers the impact of the pandemic on attorney wellness in a variety of categories. These results demonstrated marked negative impacts on a variety of wellness measures which may result in significant reductions in service provision and efficacy for the people who need legal services. The pandemic made the practice of law harder and more stressful. Attorneys suffered increased incidence of substance abuse, alcohol consumption, and stress during the pandemic. These results were generally worse among those practicing in the areas of criminal law. In light of these adverse psychological effects facing attorneys, the authors argue the need for increased mental health support resources for attorneys, as well as establishing clear steps to raise awareness among the legal community about the importance of mental health and personal wellness.

People, Professionals, and Profit Centers: The Connection between Lawyer Well-Being and Employer Values

Concerns about the well-being of lawyers are rising against the backdrop of a transforming legal profession, one which many observe to be operating more like a business in recent decades. However, aspects of this change, such as lawyers perceiving that their employers value financial performance and productivity above all else, could be associated with unhealthy work practices detrimental to lawyer well-being. The objective of the present study was to determine whether the perceived values of employers were differentially associated with lawyer well-being, stress, and work overcommitment. To this end, 1959 participants from a random sample of attorneys completed a survey designed to assess well-being. Participants were separated into one of three groups based on what they perceived their employer to value most about them: (1) Professionalism/Individual (professionalism and skills), (2) Financial Worth/Availability (revenue generation and availability), and (3) No Value/No Feedback (feeling unvalued or lacking feedback) and compared on measures of mental and physical health (SF-12), stress (Perceived Stress Scale), and work over commitment (Effort−Reward Imbalance Questionnaire). MANOVA results indicated that mental health, stress, and work overcommitment significantly differed between groups in the following rank order: Professionalism/Individual > Financial Worth/Availability > No Value/No Feedback. Overall, our findings paint a compelling picture of a health hierarchy within legal work environments, one that appears to be linked to employer values.