Examining Contributors to Burnout and Well-Being in U.S. Forensic Psychiatrists

Burnout and well being in forensic psychiatrists have been insufficiently examined, with most research focusing on vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, or posttraumatic stress disorder among forensic mental health professionals. Previous research in Canada from 2023 highlighted a high prevalence of burnout among forensic psychiatrists, particularly among early-career psychiatrists, those whose values were misaligned with their institution, and those who had a low perceived control over their workload. Building upon this, the current study provides an assessment of the U.S. workforce in forensic psychiatry, identifying aspects of practice that contribute to, or mitigate, burnout and enhance professional fulfillment. Survey results of American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL) members (response rate 11%) indicated that those experiencing burnout were younger, female, perceived to have had less control over their workload, spent more time on the electronic medical record (EMR), and felt their values were misaligned with leadership and colleagues. Factors predicting professional fulfillment were overall job satisfaction, value alignment with colleagues, and mentoring others. The findings of this survey will help to identify interventions at institutional and systems levels to address contributors to burnout, promote professional fulfillment and well being, and enhance recruitment and retention in the field of forensic psychiatry.