Perceptions and Attitudes of Mental Health Professionals toward the Mental Health Care Law in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Mental Health Care Law (SMHL) was established in 2014; however, no prior study has evaluated mental health professionals' perceptions or attitudes toward it. This cross-sectional study examines these aspects and their associated factors among psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and psychiatric nurses in Saudi Arabia (SA). The data were collected from 432 participants using an online electronic survey consisting of four sections, including the Mental Health Legislation Attitudes Scale (MHLAS). Psychiatrists comprised most participants (46.06%), followed by psychologists (36.34%). Most participants were 40 years of age or younger (83.10%). Of the 432 participants, 226 (52.31%) were females. Overall, 28.70% were unaware of the existence of the SMHL. A total of 172 (66.67%) out of 258 participants agreed that the legislation operates well in ensuring treatment for persons who require involuntary admission. There was a statistically significant association between specialty and opinions of treatment efficacy and care benefits of the SMHL (p = 0.031 and p < 0.001, respectively). Official implementation of SMHL in participants' facilities resulted in high MHLAS scores (p = 0.007). Reading or attending lectures and workshops related to the SMHL resulted in high MHLAS scores (p = 0.044 and p = 0.021, respectively). Negative opinions and uncertainty regarding the effect of SMHL on confidentiality were associated with low total MHLAS scores (p < 0.001). This study highlights the need to increase awareness of the SMHL among Saudi Arabian healthcare workers.

Prevalence and Predictive Factors of Compassion Fatigue among Healthcare Workers in Saudi Arabia: Implications for Well-Being and Support.

Compassion fatigue (CF) poses significant challenges to healthcare workers' (HCWs) well-being. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of CF and identify its predictive factors among HCWs in all regions of Saudi Arabia (SA). As such, all HCWs from different disciplines in different centers were allowed to participate, resulting in 678 participants. The study tool, distributed between October 2022 and January 2023, consisted of a questionnaire created by the authors based on the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL). The ProQOL measures the positive (compassion satisfaction [CS]) and negative (CF) effects of helping those who have suffered, noting that burnout (BO) and secondary traumatic stress (STS) are the two subscales that constitute CF. Our findings revealed that 63.9% of HCWs experienced average STS, while 57.2% reported average BO levels. HCWs in the southern and northern regions exhibited higher STS (p-value = 0.003 and 0.010, respectively). Physicians displayed higher BO levels (p-value = 0.024). Higher levels of CS were found among older HCWs (p-value = 0.001) and lower levels among those with more years of experience (p-value = 0.004). Support at work and job, life, and financial income satisfaction were significantly and positively correlated with CS and negatively correlated with BO and STS. These findings highlight the need for tailored awareness campaigns targeting HCWs, particularly physicians, to promote well-being, enhance coping skills, and foster problem-solving techniques. Keywords: burnout; compassion fatigue; compassion satisfaction; healthcare workers; professional quality of life; Saudi Arabia; secondary traumatic stress; medical trainees' well-being.