Practice: Social Work in Action, 25(5), 2013, pp.349-366.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
Although organisations have a duty of care to protect the well-being of employees, it is acknowledged that social workers need to enhance their personal resilience to survive in an increasingly stressful profession. The term ‘resilience’ is widely used in social work education and practice, but there is little consensus about its meaning. This study utilises a psychological perspective to explore
(Publisher abstract)
Although organisations have a duty of care to protect the well-being of employees, it is acknowledged that social workers need to enhance their personal resilience to survive in an increasingly stressful profession. The term ‘resilience’ is widely used in social work education and practice, but there is little consensus about its meaning. This study utilises a psychological perspective to explore the personal representations of resilience held by 200 social work students and 100 experienced social workers in England. Participants’ perceptions of why social workers need to be personally resilient and the means by which this quality may be enhanced are also considered. Thematic content analysis is utilised to explore the data, and similarities and differences between representations of resilience provided by students and qualified staff are investigated through the use of template analysis. The extent to which representations of resilience expressed by participants correspond with ‘academic’ definitions is also examined. Considerable variation in personal meanings of the resilience construct emerged. In general, representations of resilience articulated by experienced social workers were more complex and multi-faceted than those expressed by students. The implications of the findings for the development of interventions to enhance resilience in student and qualified social workers are considered.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
social workers, student social workers, resilience, stress;
Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 23(8), 2013, pp.879-892.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
Place of publication:
Philadelphia, USA
Caring for an individual with Alzheimer's disease is at times challenging and can lead to caregiver burden. Resilience is a personality characteristic that has emerged as a protective factor among aging individuals. This study was conducted to examine the moderating effect of resilience between caregiver stressors and caregiver burden. For the study one hundred ten (N = 110) caregivers were recruited from community agencies that provide education and support to Alzheimer's disease caregivers in the southeastern region of the USA. The study assessed caregiver knowledge, care recipient functional independence, and care recipient behaviours. The results of the study indicate that resilience was not identified as a moderator between stressors and caregiver burden; however, a relationship exists between resilience and caregiver burden. Specifically, as resilience in Alzheimer's disease caregivers increases, their caregiver burden decreases. These findings highlight the importance of supportive interventions that will increase resilience in Alzheimer's disease caregivers.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Caring for an individual with Alzheimer's disease is at times challenging and can lead to caregiver burden. Resilience is a personality characteristic that has emerged as a protective factor among aging individuals. This study was conducted to examine the moderating effect of resilience between caregiver stressors and caregiver burden. For the study one hundred ten (N = 110) caregivers were recruited from community agencies that provide education and support to Alzheimer's disease caregivers in the southeastern region of the USA. The study assessed caregiver knowledge, care recipient functional independence, and care recipient behaviours. The results of the study indicate that resilience was not identified as a moderator between stressors and caregiver burden; however, a relationship exists between resilience and caregiver burden. Specifically, as resilience in Alzheimer's disease caregivers increases, their caregiver burden decreases. These findings highlight the importance of supportive interventions that will increase resilience in Alzheimer's disease caregivers.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Mental Health Religion and Culture, 16(10), 2013, pp.1044-1055.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
Place of publication:
Philadelphia, USA
Burnout represents a potential risk for counsellors and psychotherapists in their work with distressed clients. In the research reported here, the relationship between spiritual well-being and burnout was explored, with attention paid to clinicians’ perceptions of trauma. Eighty-nine Australian counsellors and psychotherapists (71 females and 18 males) completed a demographic survey, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and Spiritual Well-Being Scale. It was found that existential well-being accounted for some of the variance in MBI subscale scores, and buffered the effect of trauma on emotional exhaustion. In addition, clinicians who reported high levels of existential well-being reported being better able to avoid emotional exhaustion when working with severely traumatised clients.
(Publisher abstract)
Burnout represents a potential risk for counsellors and psychotherapists in their work with distressed clients. In the research reported here, the relationship between spiritual well-being and burnout was explored, with attention paid to clinicians’ perceptions of trauma. Eighty-nine Australian counsellors and psychotherapists (71 females and 18 males) completed a demographic survey, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and Spiritual Well-Being Scale. It was found that existential well-being accounted for some of the variance in MBI subscale scores, and buffered the effect of trauma on emotional exhaustion. In addition, clinicians who reported high levels of existential well-being reported being better able to avoid emotional exhaustion when working with severely traumatised clients.
(Publisher abstract)
International Social Work, 56(2), 2013, pp.228-246.
Publisher:
Sage
This article analyses the effects of burnout in a sample of social workers from Malaga, Spain. The results obtained with the structural equations model confirm that burnout has a negative influence on workplace support, job satisfaction and life satisfaction and that workplace support has a positive influence on job satisfaction. Workplace support acts as mediator variable between burnout and job satisfaction and buffers the negative effects of burnout on job satisfaction and life satisfaction among social workers.
(Publisher abstract)
This article analyses the effects of burnout in a sample of social workers from Malaga, Spain. The results obtained with the structural equations model confirm that burnout has a negative influence on workplace support, job satisfaction and life satisfaction and that workplace support has a positive influence on job satisfaction. Workplace support acts as mediator variable between burnout and job satisfaction and buffers the negative effects of burnout on job satisfaction and life satisfaction among social workers.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
social workers, stress, quality of life, job satisfaction;
Research suggests that caring for a child with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) creates unique challenges for carers. To investigate this, three focus groups and education sessions, attended by 66 people, were held in the UK. Knowledge about FASD and its impact on families was evaluated using the focus groups, the Parental Stress Index and knowledge questionnaire. Eight broad themes were
(Publisher abstract)
Research suggests that caring for a child with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) creates unique challenges for carers. To investigate this, three focus groups and education sessions, attended by 66 people, were held in the UK. Knowledge about FASD and its impact on families was evaluated using the focus groups, the Parental Stress Index and knowledge questionnaire. Eight broad themes were identified from thematic analysis of the focus groups. The findings suggest more support is needed for carers of children with FASD, especially as carers grow older. The implication for current practice should be further evaluated in this group
(Publisher abstract)
Self-care is widely recognized as critical to social work practice, yet little empirical support or practical guidance exists in the literature to steer social workers in its implementation. Self-care may not only be crucial in preventing secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and high staff turnover, but it can serve as a means of empowerment that enables practitioners to proactively
(Publisher abstract)
Self-care is widely recognized as critical to social work practice, yet little empirical support or practical guidance exists in the literature to steer social workers in its implementation. Self-care may not only be crucial in preventing secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and high staff turnover, but it can serve as a means of empowerment that enables practitioners to proactively and intentionally negotiate their overall health, well-being, and resilience. The purpose of this article is threefold: (a) to explore current conceptualizations of self-care; (b) to provide a clear conceptual definition of and an applied framework for self-care; and (c) to explicate the utility of this framework for social work practitioners, students, educators, and social service agencies’ supervisors and administrators.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
social workers, stress, self care, organisational culture;
WATSON Shelley L., COONS Kelly D., HAYES Stephanie A.
Journal article citation:
Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 38(2), 2013, pp.95-104.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
To compare the stress of parents of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) to parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) 25 parents of children with ASD and 25 parents of children with FASD completed the Parenting Stress Index – Short Form (PSI-SF) and the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress – Friedrich's Version (QRS-F). Although both parent groups reported elevated...
(Edited publisher abstract)
To compare the stress of parents of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) to parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) 25 parents of children with ASD and 25 parents of children with FASD completed the Parenting Stress Index – Short Form (PSI-SF) and the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress – Friedrich's Version (QRS-F). Although both parent groups reported elevated stress, PSI-SF results indicated that parents of children with FASD were experiencing significantly more stress compared to parents of children with ASD. No significant differences were found between groups on the total QRS-F, but parents of children with FASD had higher scores on the Pessimism subscale. The authors call for measures grounded in theory as well as mixed methods research that includes the subjective experience of parents’ stress.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Social Work in Health Care, 52(2/3), 2013, pp.296-310.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
Place of publication:
Philadelphia, USA
This exploratory study focused on the experience and management of vicarious trauma in a team of social workers (N = 16) at a specialist cancer hospital in Melbourne. Respondents completed the Traumatic Stress Institute Belief Scale (TSIBS), the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), and participated in four focus groups. The results from the TSIBS and the ProQol scales confirm...
(Publisher abstract)
This exploratory study focused on the experience and management of vicarious trauma in a team of social workers (N = 16) at a specialist cancer hospital in Melbourne. Respondents completed the Traumatic Stress Institute Belief Scale (TSIBS), the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), and participated in four focus groups. The results from the TSIBS and the ProQol scales confirm that there is a stress associated with the social work role within a cancer service, as demonstrated by the high scores related to stress. However at the same time the results indicated a high level of satisfaction which acted as a mitigating factor. The study also highlighted the importance of supervision and management support. A model for clinical social work supervision is proposed to reduce the risks associated with vicarious trauma.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
hospital social workers, cancer, stress, staff supervision;
Professional Social Work, February 2013, pp.20-21.
Publisher:
British Association of Social Workers
The author reflects on her 18 years as a qualified social worker and provides some advice on how to survive the stress of the profession. She looks at how she coped with high case loads and over bureaucratic systems whilst working as a child protection officer and also in a Community Mental Health Team. Her advice is summarised into seven top tips to help keep social workers focused
The author reflects on her 18 years as a qualified social worker and provides some advice on how to survive the stress of the profession. She looks at how she coped with high case loads and over bureaucratic systems whilst working as a child protection officer and also in a Community Mental Health Team. Her advice is summarised into seven top tips to help keep social workers focused in their profession. Other experienced social workers also provide advice.
Subject terms:
professional role, social workers, stress, workload;
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.