ARMS Executive Director, Dr. Diana Singh, featured in McMaster Brighter World news

Yesterday, Dr. Diana Singh’s research on the impacts of stress on human service workers was featured on McMaster University’s news platform: Brighter World.  

Dr. Singh’s “Emotions Matter Study” examines employee well-being at regional branches of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and the Hamilton Public Library (HPL). Its aim was to look at the impact and how best to support workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The study sought to evaluate the effects of “emotional labour”, which refers to how service employees must often hide or suppress their emotions to do their jobs. COVID-19 meant that workers had to engage in this emotional labour more than usual. Research shows that emotional labour has been related to “burn-out, reduced job satisfaction and overall well-being and becoming detached from feelings.”  

To combat these negative effects, Singh developed a skill-building workshop to educate workers on emotional labour and how to support themselves in difficult situations. That workshop will be available to workers at participating sites through CMHA Hamilton and the HPL in Spring 2022. 

Singh is also working with CMHA Hamilton to develop a peer mentorship program. Its aim will be to connect staff with peers that have the same lived experience as they do in terms of how they deal with the requirements of their position. 

The study was carried out in association with the Faculty of Social Sciences’ Community Research Platform and the Initiative for Advanced Research on Mental Health and Society. 

Read the full news article here.