Date of Conferral
1-17-2025
Degree
Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
School
Social Work
Advisor
Diane Rullo
Abstract
U.S. mental health social workers practicing in psychiatric settings are susceptible to developing burnout. Burnout is a prominent and enduring social problem faced by many helping professionals, but especially among licensed mental health social workers. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the role coping capacity plays in mental health social workers developing burnout while employed in an inpatient psychiatric setting. The conceptual framework was sense of coherence, a core construct of the salutogenic theory of health. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 10 clinical social workers employed in inpatient psychiatric settings in North Carolina. Data were thematically analyzed. Emergent themes identified were contributors to burnout, comprehensibility of burnout, manageability of burnout, and meaningfulness of burnout. Key findings indicated that most participants experienced emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment as they perceived their work environment as unreasonable, convoluted, and ineffectual. Findings may be used to improve clinical social work practice at the practice, research, and policy level through enhanced understanding of how social workers’ capacity to comprehend, manage, and create meaning out of stressful occupational situations influences their ability to cope with demanding workplace settings.
Recommended Citation
Pittman, Akia Sheree, "Perceptions of Coping Capacity and Burnout Among Psychiatric Social Workers" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 17190.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/17190
