Exploring Social Work Practitioners' Perspectives on the Contributors to Burnout since the COVID-19 Pandemic

Tasha M Childs; Aidyn L Iachini; Melissa Reitmeier; Teri Browne; Dana DeHart; Ala Bengel; My'Ashia Haynesworth

doi:10.1093/sw/swae005

Exploring Social Work Practitioners' Perspectives on the Contributors to Burnout since the COVID-19 Pandemic

Soc Work. 2024 Mar 19;69(2):142-150. doi: 10.1093/sw/swae005.

Authors

Tasha M Childs¹, Aidyn L Iachini², Melissa Reitmeier³, Teri Browne⁴, Dana DeHart⁵, Ala Bengel⁶, My'Ashia Haynesworth⁷

Affiliations

¹ PhD, LMSW, is assistant professor, School of Social Work, University of Missouri-Columbia, 701 Fifth Street, 726 Clark Hall, Columbia, MO 65203, USA.
² PhD, LSW, is professor and associate dean for research and faculty, College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
³ PhD, LMSW, is director of field education and clinical professor, College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
⁴ PhD, LMSW, is dean and professor, College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
⁵ PhD, is professor emerita, College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
⁶ MSW, is HOPE-WWR project coordinator, College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
⁷ is an MSW candidate, College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.

PMID: 38366254
DOI: 10.1093/sw/swae005

Abstract

Burnout has a historic and disproportionate impact on social workers and is one important contributor to the ongoing health and behavioral health workforce crisis in the United States. Little is known, however, about social workers' experiences of burnout and their perceptions of factors that contribute to burnout since the COVID-19 pandemic. This study sought to explore this by answering the following research questions: (a) To what extent are social workers in South Carolina experiencing burnout? and (b) What do South Carolina social workers view as the top reasons for burnout in their professional role? Seventy social work practitioners and leaders from South Carolina completed an online survey during Fall 2022 that included the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and an open-ended question focused on identifying their perceptions of the top three reasons for burnout in the profession. Findings suggest that social workers in this study are experiencing moderate levels of burnout since the COVID-19 pandemic and report primarily organizational (83 percent) contributors to burnout. They also identified individual (36 percent), systemic (29 percent), and interpersonal (27 percent) contributors to burnout. Implications are discussed related to policy and practice responses to prevent and address burnout among social workers.

Keywords: COVID-19; behavioral health; burnout; organizational factors; social work.

MeSH terms

Burnout, Professional* / epidemiology
Burnout, Psychological
COVID-19*
Humans
Pandemics
Social Work
Social Workers