Mental Health Challenges in the Saudi Legal Profession
(The Role of Case Specialization, Gender, and Experience)
Keywords:
Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Legal professionals, Burnout, Psychological distress
Abstract
Legal professionals are subject to great psychological distress as they deal with long hours, complex case management, and emotionally charged disputes. Studies in Western countries have demonstrated these challenges. However, few data are available about the mental health of legal professionals in Saudi Arabia, which is different in cultural and professional aspects. Accordingly, this study illuminates the relationship between depression, anxiety, and stress among Saudi lawyers concerning whether case specialization, gender, or years of experience are significant in affecting psychological distress. In a survey of 79 lawyers, male lawyers held higher levels of distress than female lawyers, and criminal lawyers were more distressed than those in commercial or general law. In addition, experienced lawyers were more depressed and stressed than inexperienced ones. These findings lay the importance of developing interventions on mental health in Saudi legal professionals to decrease psychological distress and improve their positive psychological health.
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2. Austin, D. S. (2024). The legal brain: A lawyer's guide to well-being and better job performance. Cambridge University Press.
3. Azeem, M., Arouj, K., & Hussain, M. M. (2020). Lawyers’ problems and their relationship with perceived stress and occupational burnout: A study on lawyers practicing civil and criminal law. Review of Education, Administration & Law, 3(3), 543–552. https://doi.org/10.47067/real.v3i3.100
4. Bacik, I., & Drew, E. (2006). Struggling with juggling: Gender and work/life balance in the legal professions. Women’s Studies International Forum, 29(2), 136–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2006.03.006
5. Bergin, A. J., & Jimmieson, N. L. (2013). Explaining psychological distress in the legal profession: The role of overcommitment. International Journal of Stress Management, 20(2), 134. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032557
6. Bergin, A. J., & Jimmieson, N. L. (2014). Australian lawyer well-being: Workplace demands, resources and the impact of time-billing targets. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 21(3), 427–441. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2013.822783
7. Chlap, N., & Brown, R. F. (2022). Relationships between workplace characteristics, psychological stress, affective distress, burnout, and empathy in lawyers. International Journal of the Legal Profession, 29(2), 159–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/09695958.2022.2032082
8. Chrobak-Kasprzyk, K. S., & Jośko-Ochojska, J. (2020). Stress, anxiety, depressive disorders, and somatisation among lawyers. Annales Academiae Medicae Silesiensis, 74(3), 116–125. https://doi.org/10.18794/aams/115678
9. Clemente, M., & Padilla-Racero, D. (2020). The effects of the justice system on mental health. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 27(5), 865–879. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2020.1751327
10. Deady, M., Sanatkar, S., Tan, L., Glozier, N., Gayed, A., Petrie, K., ... & Harvey, S. B. (2024). A mentally healthy framework to guide employers and policy makers. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1430540. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1430540
11. Eggenberger, L., Fordschmid, C., Ludwig, C., Weber, S., Grub, J., Komlenac, N., & Walther, A. (2021). Men’s psychotherapy use, male role norms, and male-typical depression symptoms. Behavioral Sciences, 11(6), 83. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs11060083
12. Gispert, R., Rajmil, L., Schiaffino, A., & Herdman, M. (2003). Sociodemographic and health-related correlates of psychiatric distress in a general population. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 38(12), 677–683. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-003-0692-6
13. Koltai, J., Schieman, S., & Dinovitzer, R. (2018). The status–health paradox: Organizational context, stress exposure, and well-being in the legal profession. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 59(1), 20-37. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022146517754091
14. Laditka, J. N., Laditka, S. B., Arif, A. A., & Adeyemi, O. J. (2023). Psychological distress is more common in some occupations and increases with job tenure: A thirty-seven year panel study in the United States. BMC Psychology, 11(1), 95. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01119-0
15. Maguire, G., & Byrne, M. K. (2017). The law is not as blind as it seems: Relative rates of vicarious trauma among lawyers and mental health professionals. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 24(2), 233–243. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2016.1220037
16. Nam, S. K., Chu, H. J., Lee, M. K., Lee, J. H., Kim, N., & Lee, S. M. (2010). A meta-analysis of gender differences in attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. Journal of American College Health, 59(2), 110–116. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2010.483714
17. Nickum, M., & Desrumaux, P. (2023). Burnout among lawyers: Effects of workload, latitude and mediation via engagement and over-engagement. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 30(3), 349–361. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2022.2035840
18. Stack, S., & Bowman, B. A. (2023). Suicide among lawyers: Role of job problems. Suicide and Life‐Threatening Behavior, 53(2), 312–319. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12945
19. Tamres, L. K., Janicki, D., & Helgeson, V. S. (2002). Sex differences in coping behavior: A meta-analytic review and an examination of relative coping. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 6(1), 2-30. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327957PSPR0601_1
20. Theodoratou, M., et al. (2023). Emotion-focused coping, social support, and active coping among university students. Journal of Psychology & Clinical Psychiatry, 14(1), 5–9. https://doi.org/10.15406/jpcpy.2023.14.00720
Published
2025-04-09
How to Cite
Ridwan M. Alomri. (2025). Mental Health Challenges in the Saudi Legal Profession: (The Role of Case Specialization, Gender, and Experience). Era Journal for Humanities and Sociology, (16), 93-107. https://doi.org/10.33193/eJHAS.16.2025.340
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Copyright (c) 2025 Ridwan M. Alomri
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