Date of Conferral
11-20-2025
Date of Award
November 2025
Degree
Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
School
Social Work
Advisor
Debora Rice
Abstract
Healthcare social workers experience elevated levels of burnout, or psychological distress resulting from a prolonged mismatch between the individual and their work environment. The problem addressed in this generic qualitative study is that female healthcare social workers experience elevated rates of burnout but may not receive adequate perceived organizational support (POS) to help ameliorate burnout. This study concentrated on female healthcare social workers' descriptions and experiences of burnout and POS. The guiding theoretical framework for this study is the perceived organizational support theory (POST). The study was conducted with 14 female healthcare social workers working in various healthcare settings in the southeast region of the United States. Under the generic qualitative approach, the data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The interview data were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis steps, with resultant themes discussed concerning the research questions. Ten themes developed from the unique codes obtained via thematic analysis: burnout, workload/caseload, staffing, organizational support, supervisors, peer support, salary/pay, scheduling, resources, and visibility of leadership. Implications for potential positive social change include increasing assessment for burnout among employees, developing plans for equity in pay, and allowing mental health days or flexible scheduling.
Recommended Citation
Champion, Shukundala Clark, "The Experience of Modern Day Marriages for Women Who Identify as Strong Black Women" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 19174.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/19174
