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“Engaged, Burned Out, or Both?” A Structural Equation Model Testing Risk and Protective Factors for Social Workers in Refugee and Homeless Aid

Author

Listed:
  • Janika Mette

    (Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine (ZfAM), University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20459 Hamburg, Germany)

  • Swantje Robelski

    (Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine (ZfAM), University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20459 Hamburg, Germany)

  • Tanja Wirth

    (Competence Centre for Epidemiology and Health Services Research for Healthcare Professionals (CVcare), University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20246 Hamburg, Germany)

  • Albert Nienhaus

    (Competence Centre for Epidemiology and Health Services Research for Healthcare Professionals (CVcare), University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20246 Hamburg, Germany
    Department of Occupational Medicine, Hazardous Substances and Public Health, Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Health and Welfare Services (BGW), 22089 Hamburg, Germany)

  • Volker Harth

    (Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine (ZfAM), University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20459 Hamburg, Germany)

  • Stefanie Mache

    (Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine (ZfAM), University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20459 Hamburg, Germany)

Abstract

The present study sheds light on social workers’ working conditions in highly demanding settings and examines the associations between their perceived job demands, resources, resilience, personal burnout, and work engagement. A cross-sectional quantitative online survey was conducted with employees in social work institutions of independent and public sponsors providing help for refugees and homeless persons. The study participants were 243 social workers (68.8% female and 31.3% male) from four federal states in Germany. Correlations between social workers’ job demands, resources, burnout, and work engagement were confirmed in accordance with the Job Demands–Resources model. Results of the structural equation modelling revealed significant positive effects of employees’ job demands on their personal burnout, but no significant effects on their work engagement. The meaning of work as a job resource was significantly positively related to work engagement and negatively related to burnout. Although resilience did not moderate the relationship between employees’ job demands and burnout, it had a significant negative effect on burnout and a positive effect on work engagement. The results indicate a need for the development of health promotion measures for social workers in homeless and refugee aid. Structural approaches should target the reduction of employees’ job demands to diminish their potentially health-depleting effects. Of equal importance, behavioural measures should foster employees’ meaning of work and resilience, since both resources showed beneficial effects on their work engagement and were negatively related to burnout.

Suggested Citation

  • Janika Mette & Swantje Robelski & Tanja Wirth & Albert Nienhaus & Volker Harth & Stefanie Mache, 2020. "“Engaged, Burned Out, or Both?” A Structural Equation Model Testing Risk and Protective Factors for Social Workers in Refugee and Homeless Aid," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-14, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:2:p:583-:d:309425
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ronnie J. Steinberg & Deborah M. Figart, 1999. "Emotional Demands at Work: A Job Content Analysis," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 561(1), pages 177-191, January.
    2. Tanja Wirth & Janika Mette & Albert Nienhaus & Zita Schillmöller & Volker Harth & Stefanie Mache, 2019. "“This Isn’t Just about Things, It’s about People and Their Future”: A Qualitative Analysis of the Working Conditions and Strains of Social Workers in Refugee and Homeless Aid," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-20, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lawrence T Lam & Mary K Lam & Prasuna Reddy & Prudence Wong, 2022. "Factors Associated with Work-Related Burnout among Corporate Employees Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-10, January.
    2. Haorui Wu & Jeff Karabanow & Tonya Hoddinott, 2022. "Building Emergency Response Capacity: Multi-Career-Stage Social Workers’ Engagement with Homeless Sector during the First Two Waves of COVID-19 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-15, October.

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