MSW Student Wellness, Training Satisfaction, and Readiness to Address Substance Misuse

Abstract

Social work educators aim to increase the goodness of fit between student preparation and the needs of the community. Because working with individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) can be emotionally challenging, training MSW students to do this well does require not only development of skills and knowledge but also a capacity to maintain personal wellness. The purpose of this study is to better understand how wellness strategies affect MSW students’ preparation. This study examined two strategies to maintain wellness used by MSW students, pro-active stress management and classmate support network, and their relationship to training satisfaction and student readiness to assist clients struggling with substance use. Thirty-three MSW students in the final month of their degrees completed program evaluation surveys in Spring and Summer 2020. We conducted linear regressions to assess how proactive stress management and classmate support network contributed to student satisfaction and practice readiness. While both proactive stress management and supportive classmate networks were significantly predictive of training satisfaction, only pro-active stress management also predicted several measures of student readiness to address substance misuse. Findings highlight the importance of student wellness in preparing students for practice, particularly the value of fostering student capacity for proactive stress management.