Too stressed to de-stress? The experience of work stress among legal professionals
Using a mixed-methods approach, our study examined views of stress and recovery among a sample of attorneys. In open-ended data, attorneys commonly expressed that their job is very demanding and it impacts their health. Quantitative findings added that stressors and attitudes toward stress (comparing ones stress to another, feeling guilt for taking time for breaks) all are associated poor recovery experiences. Our findings suggest that practical interventions to support the health and well-being of legal professionals (and likely many other high-stress occupations) may need to first target attitudes and beliefs about the normalness of high stress and insufficient recovery.