Burnout: The end of the line or a signal for change?

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to explore my own experiences and professional choices through an examination of the concept of burnout in social work.

I have set out to use some aspects of the research and theory about the concept of burnout and relate them to the particular circumstances of my case. After a brief introduction and examination of what burnout is, I divide the paper into three sections dealing with the social and historical factors in burnout, the individual factors and the organizational factors.

I have attempted to show a connecting thread throughout, linking the various factors through the theme of disillusionment. It appears that the problem of dealing with omnipotence and accepting reality are as germane to this topic as they are to the individual's development. I have also attempted to draw an analogy between the factors that may aid this developmental task and organizational factors which can contribute to or help prevent burnout.     

“Nobody’s paying me to cry”: the causes of activist burnout in United States animal rights activists

ABSTRACT

We examine the causes of activist burnout – a condition in which the accumulative stress associated with activism becomes so debilitating that once-committed activists are forced to scale back on or disengage from their activism – in 17 United States animal rights activists. Following a phenomenological qualitative approach, analysis of interview data revealed three primary categories of burnout causes: 1) intrinsic motivational and psychological factors, 2) organizational and movement culture, and 3) within-movement in-fighting and marginalization. Implications for understandings of activist burnout and the AR movement are discussed.     

The Impact of Hopelessness and Hope on the Social Work Profession

Abstract

Burnout and turnover are detrimental to social service organizations, social service providers and clients. Very often organizational characteristics are part of the cause for burnout. Burnout in a job can lead to hopelessness for social service providers and begin a vicious cycle of continued burnout and increased hopelessness. Knowing the characteristics of hopelessness can help social welfare institutions nurture their employee's level of hope thus impacting the way the social service providers work with their clients.     

An Online Stress Management Support Group for Social Workers

SUMMARY

This article describes the use of a listserv to make a contribution to that sector of the human service profession which struggles with burnout. The author develops, conducts and evaluates an online support group for social workers.     

Teachers’ multicultural attitudes and perceptions of school policy and school climate in relation to burnout

ABSTRACT

There is a growing number of ethnically and culturally diverse students in Dutch junior vocational high schools. This article examines teachers’ multicultural attitudes, their perceptions of cultural diversity related to school policy and school climate, and the chance of general and diversity-related burnout. The present research also characterises teachers in terms of their multicultural attitudes and perceptions of school policy and climate through cluster analysis. Results are based on questionnaire data of 120 teachers, working at five locations of a multicultural junior vocational high school in a highly urbanised part of the Netherlands. Correlational, regression, and variance analyses indicated that the highest levels of general and diversity-related burnout were found among teachers categorised as assimilationist in attitude and who perceived their school as pluralistic. Teachers could be divided into three types of profiles: (1) relative assimilative attitude, (2) no pronounced assimilative attitude, and (3) moderate assimilative attitude. Teachers with the second profile showed the highest chance for burnout.     

Role Conflict and Ambiguity

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between role conflict and role ambiguity, and burnout of mental health service providers. The study used a sample of 259 mental health service providers who completed a questionnaire that included several measures: role conflict and ambiguity scales, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, social support scales and an involvement scale. Results showed that role conflict and role ambiguity had statistically significant correlations with several of the burnout dimensions. The author discusses the potential implications for increasing workers' quality of work life.     

Rethinking professional quality of life for social workers: Inclusion of ecological self-care barriers

ABSTRACT

This study conducted a survey among social workers in a mid-Atlantic state in the U.S. and examined the relationship between self-care behaviors, self-care barriers and compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress (STS) from an ecological perspective. The study found that social workers had a moderate level of compassion satisfaction, low risk of burnout, and low risk of STS. Bachelor-degree social workers had higher levels of burnout and lower levels of compassion satisfaction than others. Multiple regression results showed that self-care behaviors and self-care barriers did not predict compassion satisfaction. Self-care behaviors and self-care barriers were significantly associated with the level of burnout. Self-care barriers significantly contributed to STS, while self-care behaviors did not significantly decrease STS. This study implies that promoting self-care behaviors and decreasing self-care barriers can promote higher levels of professional quality of life. In addition to social workers’ individual-level self-care activities that are often stressed in prior research on STS and burnout, employers, supervisors, family members, and community members play a critical role in promoting a manageable work-life balance for social workers, thereby allowing them to use more self-care behaviors, while reducing barriers to self-care and ultimately reducing risk of burnout and STS.     

Compassion Fatigue,Compassion Satisfaction,and Burnout

Summary

Over the past several decades the mental health field has become increasingly concerned about potential negative effects in professionals of providing crisis intervention and traumatic stress services to individuals and groups. The employee assistance (EA) field has not received adequate attention with regard to the study of these negative effects, such as compassion fatigue. This paper highlights results from a national research study of members of the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA) who were assessed for risk for compassion fatigue and burnout, as well as potential for compassion satisfaction. Additionally, coping methods for dealing with work-related stress resulting from the provision of workplace crisis intervention services were measured. Findings indicate that EA professionals who provide clinical services and/or crisis intervention services in the workplace are at low risk for burnout, moderate risk for compassion fatigue, and have high potential for compassion satisfaction. Implications for the EA field, in terms of training and practice, are discussed.     

Overloaded and overlooked: Improving resident advisors' self-care

ABSTRACT

Objective: The purpose of this viewpoint is to discuss the lack of research on resident advisor (RA) self-care and how behavioral interventions can be used in housing programs to educate and improve RA self-care. It is essential for live-in housing staff (both professional and paraprofessional) to learn how to develop appropriate strategies that target problem behaviors to improve self-care. An overview of the RA position, the effects of increased demands (i.e., burnout), and the research on self-care behavioral interventions are discussed. Lastly, the call to use behavioral interventions within housing programs to educate RAs on self-care awareness and improve and monitor their health behaviors to prevent burnout and psychological distress is provided.     

Burnout y engagement. Relación con el desempeño,madurez profesional y tendencia al abandono de los estudiantes

Resumen

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar el burnout y su constructo hipotético opuesto “el engagement” en estudiantes universitarios. Además de determinar qué variables influyen en uno u otro, y profundizar en las relaciones entre estos dos constructos, estudiamos hasta qué punto pueden explicar, junto a algunas variables demográficas, el comportamiento de los estudiantes respectoa tres variablesps icosociales: desempeño, madurez profesional y tendencia al abandon.

La muestra esta compuesta por 1284 individuos (33,2% hombres y 66,7% mujeres) que cursan la Licenciatura en Administración y Dirección de Empresas en la Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales de la Universidad del País Vasco.

Entre los resultados hallados, cabe destacar: 1. -La relación negativa entre las escalas del burnout agotamiento emocional y cinismo y las del engagement vigor, dedicación y absorción; así como una relación positiva entre la competencia percibida (burnout) y las tres escalas del engagement.

2. -La existencia de diferencias significativasen las dimensiones de burnout y engagement en función del sexo.

3. -La edad es el único factor que se repite en la explicación de las tres variables psicosociales. Las escalas del burnout y engagement contribuyen, de forma diferente, a la explicación de cada una de dichas variables.

     

The Personhood in Dementia Questionnaire (PDQ): Establishing an association between beliefs about personhood and health providers' approaches to person-centred care

Purpose of the studyInterest in person-centred dementia care has flourished in the last two decades. Despite growing interest in the development and implementation of person-centred approaches to dementia care, important empirical questions remain. For instance, although Kitwood (1997) emphasized that personhood, a status extended by others, is at the heart of person-centred care, to our knowledge, no one has demonstrated empirically that beliefs about patient status influence how care is provided. The purpose of this series of three studies was to operationalize Kitwood's definition of personhood in order to test this hypothesis.Design and methodsTo operationalize Kitwood's definition of personhood, we generated items to create the Personhood in Dementia Questionnaire (PDQ; Study 1). We then completed preliminary tests of the PDQ's convergent and discriminant validity (Study 2). Finally, we examined the PDQ's relationships with other constructs such as burnout and job satisfaction, and we used linear regression to test the hypothesis that health providers' beliefs about personhood influence intended approaches to dementia care (Study 3).ResultsIn Study 1, we generated a pool of 64 potential questionnaire items. In Study 2, a 20-item version of the PDQ demonstrated good internal consistency, resistance to socially desirable responding, and evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. In Study 3, PDQ scores accounted for a significant proportion of variance in health providers' intended approaches to dementia care, including pain management. PDQ scores were not related to job satisfaction or to most aspects of burnout.ImplicationsThese results provide the first direct empirical evidence of Kitwood's (1997) theory that beliefs about patient personhood have the potential to influence health providers' care decisions, including decisions about pain management.     

Self-care techniques for social workers: Achieving an ethical harmony between work and well-being

ABSTRACT

The prevalence of burnout in the field of social work is a significant challenge to staff retention. This paper addresses the necessity of self-care in the prevention and treatment of burnout amongst social workers. Self-care is important for social workers who wish to maintain healthy, balanced lives. It is also argued that social workers who do not practice self-care are not able to provide the best possible services to their clients. For these reasons, self-care is necessary both from an ethical and personal standpoint. Specific steps for developing an individualized self-care plan are presented. This begins with the creation of a self-inventoryutilizes the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory. This is followed by a sample of self-care techniques that social workers can use. The techniques are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all self-care practices, but rather a sample of practices from various areas of social worker’s lives to demonstrate the expansive and diverse nature of self-care.     

Self-Care Practices and the Professional Self

ABSTRACT

Consistently and actively engaging in self-care has been shown to improve the performance of mental health practitioners by reducing burnout, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and other stress-related psychological problems. Not only is this important to the individual practitioner’s well-being, but ethical standards also mandate the recognition and remediation of any physical, mental, or emotional self-impairment to maintain high standards of care for clients. Professionals in small communities, like the Deaf community, however, confront unique challenges in attending to their self-care. This article investigates these challenges—as well as the rewards—experienced by Deaf and hearing counselors working in mental health care with deaf clients.     

Risk and protective factors for secondary traumatic stress and burnout among home visitors

ABSTRACT

The overarching goal of this study was to understand the context of home visitor secondary traumatic stress and burnout, and how this might affect intention to quit among home visitors, particularly focusing on potential risk factors and supportive strategies identified by the home visitors. All home visitors providing services in the state in which the research was conducted (N = 27) completed a structured interview and a quantitative survey at two time points, 6 months apart. Results indicated that more than two-thirds of the home visitors experienced either medium or high levels of secondary traumatic stress and burnout over the course of the study. Approximately one quarter of home visitors indicated thinking of leaving their present positio. Qualitative data indicated that risk factors associated with burnout included those related to both direct and non-direct services. Risk factors associated with secondary traumatic stress included traumatic stress of families, inability to recognize one’s own experiences of secondary traumatic stress, and unhealthy work culture. In terms of protective factors, home visitors strongly emphasized the importance of having a supportive supervisor who they could trust and communicate with openly.     

Predictors of Job Satisfaction and Burnout in Child Abuse Professionals: Coping,Cognition, and Victimization History

ABSTRACT

This study investigated coping style, work-related cognition, and victimization history as predictors of job satisfaction and burnout in child abuse professionals. Subjects were 215 participants in a conference on sexual abuse victim treatment. We developed a questionnaire assessing a variety of cognitions related to work with human services clients. One of the findings was that job satisfaction showed no relation to items portraying simple optimism or pessimism about helping clients, but satisfaction was related to a number of cognitions that combined realism and hope in a distinctive fashion. The coping strategies of Planful Problem Solving, Positive Reappraisal, and Seeking Social Support were associated with positive work experience, and the coping mechanisms of Confrontive Coping, Escape/Avoidance, and Accepting Responsibility were associated with negative work experience. Job satisfaction was higher in subjects reporting a childhood history of sexual abuse or neglect.     

Teaching self-care: The utilization of self-care in social work practicum to prevent compassion fatigue,burnout, and vicarious trauma

ABSTRACT

Field practicum is paramount to social work pedagogy in the preparation of emerging direct practice professionals. Field students integrate foundational knowledge as they implement practice skills learned in the classroom during the social work practicum experience. Working with clients who are suffering is inevitable in direct social work practice and field practicum students can be exposed to a broad range of intense emotional experiences as they assist clients in need. Integrating self-care skills, techniques and strategies into daily social work practice becomes essential to prevent compassion fatigue, burnout, and vicarious trauma. Incorporating self-care skills into the field practicum enhances opportunities for transformative student learning and helps to strengthen professional socialization during this critical educational experience. This article highlights the implementation of professional self-care instruction, use of activities and written student critical reflection assignments designed to enhance the practice experience through incorporating self-care education and strategies among undergraduate students within the field practicum seminar.     

El afecto producido por la comparación social y su influencia sobre el burnout

Resumen

El objetivo del presente trabajo es estudiar la relación entre el afecto producido por el uso de la comparación social y el burnout. Para ello se ha contado con una muestra de 357 soldados profesionales de las Fuerzas Armadas Españolas. Se ha utilizado la versión española de la escala de “Identificación y Contraste” de van der Zee, Buunk, Sanderman, Botke y van der Bergh (2000). Esta escala consta de cuatro dimensiones que evalúan el afecto positivo y negativo ante la comparación social ascendente y descendente. También se usa el MBI (Maslach Burnout Inventory; Schaufeli, Leiter, Maslach y Jackson, 1996).

Se han realizado diferentes ecuaciones de regresión jerárquica para probar la influencia de las cuatro dimensiones del afecto producido por comparación social, del conflicto y la ambigüedad de rol y sus interacciones sobre el burnout. Los resultados muestran, que los afectos tanto positivos como negativos que surgen de la comparación social ascendente predicen el cinismo y el agotamiento emocional, mientras que, en la predicción de la reducción de la eficacia profesional, resultan significativas las cuatro dimensiones del afecto. También se encuentran interacciones significativas, entre las dimensiones de la comparación social y la claridad de rol, en la predicción de las tres dimensiones de burnout.     

Preparing for Child Welfare Practice

Summary

Specialized child welfare MSW programs and stipend support for child welfare MSW students have been developed in several states through the Federal Title IV-E program. Thirty-seven focus groups conducted over four years with approximately 550 Title IV-E MSW students in California were submitted to qualitative thematic analysis. The intense emotional challenge of child welfare work emerged in the focus groups. A three stage cognitive-affective model of student development is proposed. This exploratory study suggests several hypotheses for further research: that students at more advanced cognitive-affective levels should be less prone to burnout, better able to make the difficult value-based decisions demanded by child welfare work, and more likely to integrate and use the emotions of themselves and others. Implications are explored for graduate programs, professors, and supervisors.     

Burnout and Mental Health in Swiss Vocational Students: The Moderating Role of Physical Activity

Few studies have focused on burnout among vocational students. This study examined the association between burnout and mental health among 56 Swiss vocational students (29 males, 27 females, M = 18.1, SD = 1.2 years) and tested whether recommended levels of moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA) attenuate this relationship. Burnout was strongly associated with increased depressive symptoms and decreased levels of life satisfaction, mental toughness, and quality of sleep. Students above recommended levels of MVPA reported lower burnout and higher mental health. No significant moderator effects were observed. Symptoms of burnout were associated with increased mental health problems. Physical activity should be promoted to prevent burnout, because nearly half of the students did not meet MVPA recommendations.