Demanding situations and workplace support for clinicians in youth substance use treatment

Working with co-occurring mental health and substance use problems has been identified as particularly difficult and demanding for clinicians. This contributes to occupational stress, which can lead to increased rates of burnout, health issues, and even premature departure from the profession. The present study seeks to examine the potential mitigating effects of workplace support on perceived interpersonal demands in clinical settings. A survey was administered to 82 clinicians, aged 27 to 66 years, across 16 outpatient clinics specializing in substance use treatment for youth. Demanding interpersonal situations, perceived organizational support (POS), and the perceived meaningfulness of clinical supervision were assessed and analyzed descriptively, as well as through correlation and multivariate regression analyses. POS and satisfaction with clinical supervision were key predictors of the perceived difficulty of demanding situations. Findings revealed that higher levels of POS were associated with lower levels of difficulty in managing challenging situations encountered in everyday clinical work. Further research is however needed to identify the specific features of institutional support that contribute to these outcomes. This study highlights the critical need to create supportive organizational environments in order to enhance clinicians’ ability to effectively navigate complex and emotionally charged situations in treatment settings.