Transformational Servant Leadership Impact on Mental Well-Being of Mental Health Workers

Mental health workers face significant psychological stress, with high rates of burnout and secondary trauma reported globally, affecting up to 40% of mental health professionals (Mahon, 2021). In India, 60% of healthcare workers report feeling overwhelmed due to inadequate leadership support and heavy workloads (Gulati & Kirkpatrick, 2020). Inadequate leadership support worsens stress as observed in diverse healthcare settings, including India and multi-professional clinics. This systematic review investigates the impact of transformational servant leadership (TSL) on the mental well-being of mental health professionals and emphasizes the relevance of TSL, combining the motivational aspects of transformational leadership with the empathetic, service-oriented focus of servant leadership, to foster a supportive work environment. The systematic review was a synthesis of the existing literature published within the past five years (2019-2024) to provide comprehensive insights, utilizing academic databases including Google Scholar, and employing Boolean operators to refine searches. Key themes identified include burnout mitigation, enhancement of psychological well-being, and the role of mediating factors such as workplace civility. These themes highlight TSL’s potential to improve mental health support structures. Future research can adopt quantitative methods, such as structural equation modeling, and qualitative approaches including in-depth interviews to explore TSL’s efficacy further.