Abstract:
The legal profession is known for its high-pressure environment, where lawyers frequently
managing excessive workloads, strict deadlines and emotionally demanding cases. These
conditions often lead to psychological distress, including stress, anxiety and burnout. While
International studies have acknowledged the link between workload stress and mental health
outcomes, limited research exist on how workload-induced psychological distress affect the
social relationship of lawyers within the Pakistan legal context. The study addresses the gap in
existing literature by exploring the inter relationship among workload psychological distress and
social relationship among lawyers in Pakistan. This quantitative study was conducted on a
sample of N= 245 lawyers from different courts of Lahore. A positive relationship between the
workload and psychological distress was found. The regression analysis shows that workload can
increase the psychological distress. The mediating analysis shows, high workload is linked with
high level of psychological distress, while strong relationship significantly reduces the negative
effect. The finding also suggest that gender and job categories plays an important role in how
lawyers experience psychological distress and social support. The findings of the study can
contribute to the development of strategies and interventions for reducing work-related stress and
strengthening social supports system for lawyers and give awareness about mental health in legal
system of Pakistan.
