Exploring the Relationship between Authentic Leadership, Workplace Wellbeing and Attachment Insecurity amongst Clinical Psychologists working in the NHS

This research explores the association between authentic leadership and workplace wellbeing and how the variable of attachment insecurity mediates this relationship amongst Clinical Psychologists working in the NHS. A total of 207 participants, who were employed as Clinical Psychologists working in the NHS, completed an online survey. The online survey collected demographic information and data through self-reported outcome measures. The demographic information included: age, gender, ethnicity, length of time qualified, relationship to their leader, the job role of their leader and NHS employment. The self-reported measures quantified authentic leadership, workplace attachment style and workplace wellbeing. A correlational and regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between authentic leadership and workplace wellbeing and whether this relationship was mediated by the variable of attachment style (avoidance and anxiety). The results showed that the majority of participants identified their leader as fellow Clinical Psychologists and that those leaders often had multiple roles and responsibilities. The findings illustrated that there was a significant positive correlation between authentic leadership and workplace wellbeing. Attachment anxiety was shown to negatively correlate with both authentic leadership and workplace wellbeing. Similarly, attachment anxiety was also seen to indirectly influence the relationship between authentic leadership and wellbeing at work. However, attachment avoidance was found to not be associated with wellbeing and leadership to the same degree as attachment anxiety. This research highlights that it is important for an individual who experiences
attachment anxiety at work to have an authentic leader as this can improve their workplace wellbeing. The strengths and limitations of this research are presented. Implications for clinical practice are discussed alongside suggested directions for future research.