Occupational Stress in Social Work

Abstract

Faith Gibson was educated at the Universities of Sydney, Queensland and Chicago in Humanities, Social Work and Education. She has practised in mental health, remedial education and residential settings. She is presently a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Ulster at Coleraine where she teaches and researches in social work theory, staff development and therapeutic reminiscence in late life. Anne McGrath took a degree in Psychology followed by three years post-graduate work. She worked for two years as a lecturer in a further education college, and is currently working as a Research Assistant in the Centre for Applied Health Studies, University of Ulster. Norma Reid took degrees in mathematics and statistics and worked in health research for three years at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, before taking up a post in the London School of Economics as a Lecturer in Social Statistics. She has worked in health research since 1978, mainly non-clinical nursing research, and was Director of the Centre for Applied Health Studies, University of Ulster from 1984 until 1987, when she took up post as a Senior Lecturer in Mathematics in the University. SUMMARY This article reports the results of a study of occupational stress undertaken with a large sample of Northern Ireland field social workers, including both main grade practitioners and first line senior social work managers employed as team leaders. This study formed part of a wider interprofessional study of social workers, nurses and teachers; publications for the latter two professions along with interprofessional comparisons are in preparation and this present article focuses on the social worker cohort. The design and methods are described and demographic characteristics of the social work sample are provided, with their views about social work. Stressors are identified in both professional and private lives. The effects of stress as manifested through the General Health Questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory are examined and the social workers' views on various stress coping strategies are discussed.