Abstract
Work-related stress has become one of the main concerns of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA).
Stress is the second most frequently reported work-related health problem in Europe and, along with other psychosocial risks, is thought to account for more than half (50–60%) of all lost working days. A poor psychosocial work environment can have significant negative effects on workers' health. (EU-OSHA, 2014)
People working in the health and care professions are deemed particularly at risk of work-related stress (Health & Safety Executive, 2013). However, some evidence points to organisational factors such as heavy workload and quality of management as playing a more significant part in work stress than client-related issues (Gibb et al., 2010).
As more attention is now being paid to retaining our health and care workforce, more research is needed on the experiences of those entering these professions. Supporting trainees to address stress in clinical practice placements and finding out what helps them build and sustain resilience should be priorities. The reviewed study is therefore extremely welcome, as it weaves together two very important strands: the narrative of the students’ experiences and the use of art to explore and process them.
As the author shows, as a student it is often difficult to find one’s voice in stressful situations, as fears of being judged unsuitable or incompetent sometimes override the need to ask for help and support. The stories of the students illustrate this beautifully and show how the use of images helped in the telling. As an art therapist, I have witnessed many times how images reflected their true thoughts and feelings to their makers. We are very used to censoring our verbal communications: as toddlers learning to speak we soon work out what to say and, importantly, what not to say as it gets us into trouble. This ‘editing’ is part of an important socialising process, and it makes us experts in censoring our own thoughts. It is a little more difficult to edit art-making so efficiently.
As shown in this study, art is therefore a helpful tool in the debriefing process for student nurses. Although the number of participants is small (n = 3), the qualitative thematic analysis does have strength as it highlights some very pertinent themes that resonate with issues raised by some art therapy trainees. I would also suggest that embedding art-making in reflective practice would help clinicians at all stages of their career. As work-related stress is becoming a widespread issue, using art in debriefing and reflective practice can really help to develop insight and resilience.