Budget cuts are negatively affecting mental health in IT, and here are the most worrying statistics

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Independent research into the mental health of IT professionals has found that budget cuts are negatively impacting wellbeing in the cyber security sector.

The research, commissioned by Integrity360, surveyed 205 IT security professionals on their attitudes towards their organizations IT budget, their main concerns within the job, and the availability of mental health support and services.

Challenges facing IT decision makers

Of the main challenges facing those in IT, 48% said that protecting sensitive data caused the most stress followed by managing risk and compliance (28%), defending identities (26%) and ransomware ranked at 25%.

Of the different professions within the industry, CIOs were found to have the highest impact on their mental wellbeing (30%) when working on security consolidation, with CTOs and security analysts having significantly lower concerns at 18% and 14% respectively.

The shortage of qualified professionals within the cybersecurity industry has forced many IT departments to do more with less, increasing the workloads on already struggling workers. 63% of those surveyed noted that working within cybersecurity contributed to increased levels of stress and anxiety.

Fortunately, close to 70% said that adequate support was provided by their organization however 75% would like more to be done to provide wider access to mental health services.

Speaking on the results of the survey, Brian Martin, Head of Product Development, Innovation and Strategy at Integrity360 said, "Cyber security budgets have always been challenging and this year has certainly tested many businesses.

“A myriad of issues from budget, economic downturn and skills shortage have all impacted the workload placed on those tasked with tackling cyber threats and compliance and it’s no surprise this is having a detrimental effect on mental wellbeing.

“Businesses need to find solutions to support their employees and ensure that the systems they are working so hard to secure are up to the task. Enlisting third party help or outsourcing to an MSSP could be a good place to start.”

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Benedict has been with TechRadar Pro for over two years, and has specialized in writing about cybersecurity, threat intelligence, and B2B security solutions. His coverage explores the critical areas of national security, including state-sponsored threat actors, APT groups, critical infrastructure, and social engineering.

Benedict holds an MA (Distinction) in Security, Intelligence, and Diplomacy from the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at the University of Buckingham, providing him with a strong academic foundation for his reporting on geopolitics, threat intelligence, and cyber-warfare.

Prior to his postgraduate studies, Benedict earned a BA in Politics with Journalism, providing him with the skills to translate complex political and security issues into comprehensible copy.