Date of Conferral

2017

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Sharon Xuereb

Abstract

Burnout affects mental health workers both personally and professionally. Identifying variables that lead to burnout, such as poor coping skills, may assist organization in preventing burnout among mental health workers. Most researchers studying burnout in the mental health field have focused on human service workers in general. There is a gap in the literature concerning job burnout among counselors of sex offenders. The theory of cognitive appraisal and coping was the theoretical foundation for this study. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping, genders, years of experience, and caseload size predict job burnout in counselors who treat sex offenders. Surveys containing items from the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the COPE Inventory along with demographic questions were distributed to counselors of sex offenders who were members of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers. Data from 86 complete questionnaires were analyzed using simple linear regression and analysis of variance. Caseload size was found to be a statistically significant predictor of the depersonalization aspect of burnout. It, however, was not statistically significant predictor of emotional exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment. In addition, coping, gender, and years of experience were not significant predictors of burnout. The findings have the potential of stimulating positive social change by making treatment providers more aware of the factors that contribute to burnout among counselors of sex offenders. If providers give these counselors a more manageable caseload, they may be able to reduce their burnout, leading to a higher quality of care for offenders and improved well-being for counselors.

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