British Journal of Social Work, 51(5), 2021, pp.1551-1567.
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
...was associated with higher psychological distress and with job demands. In addition, emotion-focused coping strategies were found to mediate the association between job demands and psychological distress, especially ventilation of emotion beyond other strategies, which relate to emotion-focused coping. These findings are discussed with relation to a stress and coping theory, suggesting that in social work
(Edited publisher abstract)
The consequences of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have raised many challenges in the social services workforce. The current study aimed to examine the associations between job demands, coping strategies (i.e. emotion-focused coping and problem-focused coping) and psychological distress exhibited by social workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the mediating role of different coping strategies was investigated for the associations revealed. The participants were 615 social workers, working in various organisations and with diverse populations in Israel. Each completed a validated self-report questionnaire. Results revealed that job demands were significantly associated with higher psychological distress, and that coping strategies, especially emotion-focused coping was associated with higher psychological distress and with job demands. In addition, emotion-focused coping strategies were found to mediate the association between job demands and psychological distress, especially ventilation of emotion beyond other strategies, which relate to emotion-focused coping. These findings are discussed with relation to a stress and coping theory, suggesting that in social work practice there is a need for intervention measures to improve social workers’ coping strategies during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
Covid-19, stress, coping behaviour, social workers;
Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 38(2), 2021, pp.175-180.
Publisher:
Springer
Accurate prediction provides a number of important benefits for research and decision-making. Occupational burnout is intertwined with individual, cultural, and social factors, the resolution of which requires methods that can deal with large amounts of data. The application of such methods capable of dealing with large datasets is a relatively novel research area in social science. For this purpose, this article presents insights into machine learning methods, mainly related to prediction tasks. A brief review of these techniques in burnout domain was applied. It is shown that the choice of a method depends on the presence of certain dependent variables. This paper also presents a comparison between novel and traditional approaches, which shows that the appropriateness of a technique depends on the aim of the research. The theoretical and practical implications of using machine learning methods in this context is also presented in the paper. It is found that a gap in the study of burnout exists which requires the attention of social work researchers. Through machine learning techniques, new theoretical models of burnout can be created. These algorithms can also provide new approaches to create data-driven interventions. Burnout monitoring systems supported by machine-learning algorithms can also be used in recruitment processes and to supervise employees. Applying machine learning methods in reducing burnout can also provide socio-economic benefits such as help to reduce employee turnover and improve general working conditions.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Accurate prediction provides a number of important benefits for research and decision-making. Occupational burnout is intertwined with individual, cultural, and social factors, the resolution of which requires methods that can deal with large amounts of data. The application of such methods capable of dealing with large datasets is a relatively novel research area in social science. For this purpose, this article presents insights into machine learning methods, mainly related to prediction tasks. A brief review of these techniques in burnout domain was applied. It is shown that the choice of a method depends on the presence of certain dependent variables. This paper also presents a comparison between novel and traditional approaches, which shows that the appropriateness of a technique depends on the aim of the research. The theoretical and practical implications of using machine learning methods in this context is also presented in the paper. It is found that a gap in the study of burnout exists which requires the attention of social work researchers. Through machine learning techniques, new theoretical models of burnout can be created. These algorithms can also provide new approaches to create data-driven interventions. Burnout monitoring systems supported by machine-learning algorithms can also be used in recruitment processes and to supervise employees. Applying machine learning methods in reducing burnout can also provide socio-economic benefits such as help to reduce employee turnover and improve general working conditions.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
conditions of employment, stress, data analysis, artificial intelligence;
Background and Objectives: In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic. Given that such a global event might affect day-to-day stress processes, the current study examined individuals’ daily stress reactivity and its moderators early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Research Design and Methods: Two-level, multilevel models examined the daily...
(Edited publisher abstract)
Background and Objectives: In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic. Given that such a global event might affect day-to-day stress processes, the current study examined individuals’ daily stress reactivity and its moderators early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Research Design and Methods: Two-level, multilevel models examined the daily relationship between perceived stress and negative affect, or stress reactivity, as well as the moderating effects of daily pandemic worry, age, and daily positive affect on this process. Participants included 349 individuals (age range = 26–89) from the Notre Dame Study of Health & Well-being who completed a 28-day, daily diary study at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Older individuals were less stress-reactive than younger individuals. Within individuals, however, stress reactivity was buffered by daily positive affect and exacerbated by daily pandemic worry. Finally, although daily positive affect buffered daily stress reactivity, this effect was weaker on days individuals were more worried about the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion and Implications: The mobilization of positive emotion may be a promising avenue for buffering stress reactivity during the COVID-19 pandemic, although this may be limited on days individuals are particularly concerned about the pandemic.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Children and Youth Services Review, 118, 2020, p.105466.
Publisher:
Elsevier
Backgrounds and aims: As COVID-19 spreads rapidly, this global pandemic has not only brought the risk of death but also spread unbearable psychological pressure to people around the world. The aim of this study was to explore (a) the mediating role of rumination in the association between stressors of COVID-19 and stress consequences of college students, and (b) the moderating role...
(Edited publisher abstract)
Backgrounds and aims: As COVID-19 spreads rapidly, this global pandemic has not only brought the risk of death but also spread unbearable psychological pressure to people around the world. The aim of this study was to explore (a) the mediating role of rumination in the association between stressors of COVID-19 and stress consequences of college students, and (b) the moderating role of psychological support in the indirect relationship between stressors of COVID-19 and stress consequences of college students. Methods: Eight hundred and forty-one Chinese college students (Mage = 19.50 years, SD = 1.580) completed the measures of stressors of COVID-19, stress consequences, rumination, and psychological support. Results: Stressors of COVID-19 were significantly positively associated with stress consequences, and mediation analyses indicated that rumination partially mediated this association. Moderated mediation analysis further revealed that psychological support buffered the relation between stressors of COVID-19 and rumination, as well as the relation between rumination and stress consequences. Discussion and conclusion: Findings of this study demonstrated that stressors associated with COVID-19 is positively related to rumination, which in turn, is related to stress consequences in college students. However, psychological support buffered this effect at both indirect mediation paths, suggesting that college students with greater psychological support may be better equipped to prevent negative stress consequences.
(Edited publisher abstract)
British Journal of Social Work, 50(1), 2020, pp.62-80.
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Burnout, secondary traumatic stress (STS) and vicarious trauma (VT) are three highly prevalent work-related stress reactions experienced in helping professions, but prevalence rates and protective/risk factors of these stress reactions in protective services workers have been understudied. The purpose of the current study was to examine coping mechanisms utilised by protective services workers...
Burnout, secondary traumatic stress (STS) and vicarious trauma (VT) are three highly prevalent work-related stress reactions experienced in helping professions, but prevalence rates and protective/risk factors of these stress reactions in protective services workers have been understudied. The purpose of the current study was to examine coping mechanisms utilised by protective services workers and their relationship with the experience of burnout, STS and VT. Participants (N = 228) completed online measures of coping strategies and work-related stress reactions. Socially supported coping was the only adaptive coping skill that significantly predicted less burnout in protective service workers and none of the adaptive coping skills were associated with decreased STS or VT symptoms, suggesting that adaptive coping skills may not be effective enough to combat work-related stress reactions in protective services workers. Furthermore, child protective services (CPS) workers reported experiencing significantly more burnout, VT and STS symptoms than adult/elder protective services workers. Given the findings, there is a need for the testing of interventions that target increasing professionals’ protective factors, especially CPS workers, for experiencing work-related stress reactions, rather than focusing solely on teaching and strengthening traditional coping skills, or addressing inconsistent risk factors.
Subject terms:
social workers, stress, coping behaviour, resilience;
Based on data from the 2015 Northern Ireland Life and Times survey, which involved 1.2020 adults, this research update looks at unpaid carers in Northern Ireland. It looks the numbers of people providing care, who is receiving care, the amount of time spent caring, and the impact of caring and how it affects carers’ emotional and physical health, finances, and working life. The data illustrates the essential role of carers, with 19 per cent of carers surveyed providing at least 60 hours of care per week shows are to the health and social care system. It also highlights the complexities of the responsibilities and pressures associated with carers’ lives and provides new evidence of the impact that these roles have on carers.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Based on data from the 2015 Northern Ireland Life and Times survey, which involved 1.2020 adults, this research update looks at unpaid carers in Northern Ireland. It looks the numbers of people providing care, who is receiving care, the amount of time spent caring, and the impact of caring and how it affects carers’ emotional and physical health, finances, and working life. The data illustrates the essential role of carers, with 19 per cent of carers surveyed providing at least 60 hours of care per week shows are to the health and social care system. It also highlights the complexities of the responsibilities and pressures associated with carers’ lives and provides new evidence of the impact that these roles have on carers.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Social Work Matters (e-Magazine), January 2013, pp.18-21. Online only
Publisher:
The College of Social Work
The author discusses effects of compassion fatigue, or secondary trauma on social workers. The personal, professional, organisational impacts are listed, as are the impacts on service users and the services they receive. One child protection worker's story is used to illustrate how high caseloads and lack of supervision can have an impact on the stress experienced by social workers.
The author discusses effects of compassion fatigue, or secondary trauma on social workers. The personal, professional, organisational impacts are listed, as are the impacts on service users and the services they receive. One child protection worker's story is used to illustrate how high caseloads and lack of supervision can have an impact on the stress experienced by social workers.
Social Work Matters (e-Magazine), February 2013, pp.24-28. Online only
Publisher:
The College of Social Work
Compassion satisfaction is the positive side of caring that can bring happiness and job satisfaction. Ways in which practitioners can develop their own compassion satisfaction and combat compassion fatigue are discussed. These include tackling providing support and tackling stress on an individual level; within a team; and the need for organisations to adopt a supportive culture. As well...
Compassion satisfaction is the positive side of caring that can bring happiness and job satisfaction. Ways in which practitioners can develop their own compassion satisfaction and combat compassion fatigue are discussed. These include tackling providing support and tackling stress on an individual level; within a team; and the need for organisations to adopt a supportive culture. As well as listing a number of self-care strategies - physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual and professional - the article also stresses the importance of reflecting on your work and how to work protectively.
Subject terms:
organisational culture, self care, social workers, stress;
Taking on excessive work can lead to burnout and poor service. The ability of social workers to be able to turn down unreasonable work requests is discussed.
Taking on excessive work can lead to burnout and poor service. The ability of social workers to be able to turn down unreasonable work requests is discussed.