Published by: British Journal of Social Work, May 2014
SUMMARY
Sue Winstanley and Lisa Hales investigated levels of burnout among social workers in residential children's homes who had been the victims of assault and threatening behaviour. They say while increasing levels of burnout among social workers and the problem of workplace aggression have been studied separately, this is the first study to link the two, although past studies have found a link between workplace violence and burnout in other professions. The purpose of this study - A Preliminary Study of Burnout in Residential Social Workers Experiencing Workplace Aggression: Might It Be Cyclical? - was to examine whether social workers who are more frequently victimised are more likely to display higher levels of burnout.
The researchers contacted 220 staff from one public sector and two private sector UK children's homes with a particular focus on adolescents, and received responses from 87 staff. Survey participants comprised 65 residential social workers, 16 senior residential social workers and six managers. Forty were male and 47 female, with an average age of 38 and 35 years respectively.
Respondents were asked to fill in a 22-point questionnaire that provided a ranking for their emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and lack of personal accomplishment, all symptoms of burnout. They were also asked to report their experiences of physical assault and threatening behaviour over the last year.
The researchers found that 70 (81 per cent) of the 87 children's home staff had been threatened or assaulted in the past year, 50 (58 per cent) of them 10 or more times. They discovered those reporting a high or moderate number of assaults were displaying significantly higher levels of emotional exhaustion than those reporting no assaults. Emotional exhaustion appeared to increase alongside an increase in the number of assaults reported. Staff members reporting high numbers of assaults were also found to have significantly higher levels of depersonalisation - a feeling of detachment - compared with those who have not been assaulted.
Implications for practice
The report suggests the link between workplace violence and burnout may be cyclical, as victims of assaults and threatening behaviour display increased depersonalisation, distancing themselves from clients both psychologically and in their behaviour. This can lead to clients being treated more as objects than as people, which can cause staff to react to them negatively and without compassion. Some clients may then see this behaviour as provocative and react accordingly, leading to abuse and a further increase in the social worker's emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. Burnout from other causes, such as overwork, can also result in depersonalisation putting social workers at risk of workplace violence.
The report authors say much current training on workplace aggression focuses on changing the behaviour of the assailant, such as using de-escalation techniques. They suggest training could help social workers be more aware of ways in which their own behaviour might be perceived or misinterpreted by others. If their findings are borne out by further study, they suggest interventions should be put in place within organisations to protect staff suffering from the symptoms of burnout from the possibility of threatening behaviour and attacks.
Further reading
Levels and Consequences of Exposure to Service User Violence: Evidence from a Sample of UK Social Care Staff, Barbara Harris and Phil Leather, British Journal of Social Work, September 2011. This report details levels of client violence experienced by social care staff and explores the consequences of such violence.
Burnout and Physical Health Among Social Workers: A Three-year Longitudinal Study, H Kim, J Ji and D Kao, Social Work, 2011. US study found social workers with higher levels of burnout later reported more physical health complaints.
Anxiety, Burnout and Coping Styles in General Hospital Staff Exposed to Workplace Aggression: A Cyclical Model of Burnout and Vulnerability to Aggression, Sue Winstanley, De Montfort University, Richard Whittington, University of Liverpool, Work & Stress, 2002. This study of general hospital staff proposes a cyclical model of burnout which increases vulnerability to victimisation.
Physical assaults
Between one and nine physical assaults - 44 %
Ten or more physical assaults - 20%
Threatening behaviour
Between one and nine incidents of threatening behaviour - 28 %
Ten or more incidents of threatening behaviour - 36%
Source: British Journal of Social Work
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