SELF-CARE PRACTICES AMONG THOSE EMPLOYED IN PUBLIC DEFENSE CONTEXTS :
e t o N h c r a e s e AR
PURPOSE The purpose of this Research Note is to provide an overview of a research study that examined self-care practices among those employed in public defense contexts.
Check out this new #Research Note from @UKCOSW and @NAPD2013 about #SelfCare among #PublicDefenders.
WHAT WE KNOW Veritably, working in public defense can be challenging. Research suggests that individuals working in public defense face a host of inimical employment challenges, including poor public perceptions of their work, inordinately high caseloads, and relatively inadequate wages, among other adverse conditions. These conditions can lead to high rates of compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and professional burnout. Indubitably, these factors can also impact the quality of legal services afforded to clients. Though there is evidence to suggest that self-care can assuage some of these consequences, little is known about the self-care practices of individuals (e.g., attorneys, social workers, etc.) employed in public defender contexts.
WHAT WE DID Researchers at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work’s Self-Care Lab, in collaboration with the National Association for Public Defense, conducted a national study to examine self-care practices of those employed in public defense. This study focused on five domains of professional self-care.
DOMAINS OF PROFESSIONAL SELF-CARE F E S S I ONA PRO UPPORT L S
LIFE SUP
PO
RT
IONA L ESS O F LO PM E N T PR VE E
Y IL
NCE
IV ES E S
DA LA
F-CAR
E
S
EL
BA
D
IT N N G C O ARE AW
WHAT WE FOUND 9,056 participants provided data via an electronic survey.
SURVEY PARTICIPANTS Approx.
42.3
Female .9%
65 White/ Caucasian
Years Old
47.2
hours worked per week
82%
9
.6% 89 Heterosexual
.73
years of PD experience
.4% 69 Married/ Partnered
PUBLIC DEFENDER ROLE
73%
ATTORNEY
INVESTIGATOR
6% 6.3%
SOCIAL WORKER/MITIGATION SPECIALIST/ OTHER SENTENCING ADVOCATE PARALEGAL
2.6% 5.7%
ADMIN/SECRETARIAL
OTHER
6.3%
SELF-CARE SCORES PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT
5.28
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Check out this new #Research Note from @UKCOSW and @NAPD2013 about #SelfCare among #PublicDefenders.
4.72
LIFE SUPPORT
5.53 5.19
COGNITIVE AWARENESS
WHAT WE CAN DO
4.42
DAILY BALANCE
NOTE: Range 1-7; higher scores indicate more self-care.
Communicate Value Via Standards
Overall, self-care scores, by geographic region, are illustrated in the figure below 1.
Professional member organizations and associations should adopt ethical standards that explicitly frame self-care as necessary to adept legal practice.
PACIFIC: 4.81
MOUNTAIN: 5.09
WEST NORTH CENTRAL: 5.23 EAST NORTH CENTRAL: 4.73
Develop Self-Care Practice Skills
MIDDLE ATLANTIC: 4.74
NEW ENGLAND: 5.02
5.88
SOUTH ATLANTIC: 5.08 EAST SOUTH CENTRAL: 5.88 WEST SOUTH CENTRAL: 5.76
4.73
ANALYSES YIELDED SEVERAL GROUP DIFFERENCES IN SELF-CARE2 • Females scored significantly higher than Males on Professional Support, Life Support, and Cognitive Awareness. Males scored significantly higher than Females on areas of Professional Development and Daily Balance. • Individuals who identified as White scored significantly higher than did those identifying as “Non-White” in the area of Daily Balance. • Participants who were Married scored significantly higher than those who were Not Married on Professional Development, Life Support, and Daily Balance. • Individuals who were more secure financially scored significantly higher across all five self-care domains.
Self-care is a practice skill that can be developed by making self-care training widely available to public defender employee groups. As well, academic programs (e.g., law, social work, criminal justice, etc.) should integrate self-care concepts into curricula.
Implement Wellness Initiatives and Supports Employers should implement broad-based wellness initiatives and supports for those employed in public defender contexts. The conceptualization of these initiatives should include participatory methodological processes that engage a range of employee perspectives and a host of wellness topical areas (e.g., physical, financial, spiritual, etc.).
Build an Evidence-Informed Knowledge Base About Self-Care To be clear, there is nominal research about selfcare among those employed in public defense contexts. Research partnerships can contribute to addressing limitations in the current knowledge about self-care and contribute to developing a robust knowledge base grounded in empirical examination.
• Attorneys scored significantly lower than NonAttorneys on Life Support, Cognitive Awareness, and Daily Balance, respectively. Attorneys scored significantly higher than Non-Attorneys only on Professional Support.
WHAT IT MEANS Findings suggest that participants engage in moderate amounts of self-care. As well, results illustrate group differences in the practice of self-care. Given how self-care, or lack thereof, can affect access to justice, it is imperative that self-care be viewed as an ethical imperative for individuals working in public defense contexts. 1 2
Scores are computed as a mean across all items; possible scores range from 1 – 7. p < .01.
If you have questions, comments, concerns, or celebrations about this project, or to receive the full report once it is available, please email Dr. Jay Miller at Justin.Miller1@uky.edu. If you need additional self-care resources, please email SELFCARELAB@uky.edu or text SELFCARELAB to 31996.