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This quantitative survey study examined stress/burnout and job satisfaction in a sample of 108 social workers in rural Mississippi using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Abridged Job Description Index (AJDI). The research examined the prevalence of stress/burnout among mental health social workers employed with the Mississippi Department of Mental Health. The research focused primarily on the relationship between burnout and job satisfaction and the degree to which levels of burnout and satisfaction were associated with demographic characteristics. Results of this study showed that 36.1% of respondents reported a high level of emotional exhaustion, 6.5% reported high levels of depersonalization, and 27.8% reported high level of personal accomplishment. Multiple dimensions of job satisfaction were found to be associated with burnout; emotional exhaustion was a particularly strong predictor of low job satisfaction. No significant differences in burnout and job satisfaction were found between men and women. Levels of burnout and job satisfaction were not related significantly to respondents’ age, marital status, or years of experience. Bachelor-level social workers scored higher on both emotional exhaustion and depersonalization than Masters-level social workers. A significant difference between African-Americans and Caucasians was found for general job satisfaction. Social worker certification, years of social work experience, and education level were related significantly to satisfaction with opportunities for promotion. Caseload was associated with differential levels of job satisfaction, but not in a simple linear pattern: the lowest levels of job satisfaction were found among social workers with moderate caseloads (21-30 clients).

Abstract This study sought to understand the differences and similarities between social work practice and evidence-based practice (EBP). As evidence-based practice becomes popularized in areas of professional practice, challenges and tensions arise for social workers. This qualitative research study asked social workers working in the hospital setting how they define and use evidence-based practice in their work, and about the tensions they experience in using EBP. The study revealed that social workers maintain their scope of practice in areas related to advocacy, the use of systems theory and the importance of the therapeutic relationship with clients in the helping process. The social workers in the study identified that social workers understood the value of scientific research and indicated that as a profession, social work practice can use research to influence areas for social change. The participants in the study described that social work practice and evidence-based practice are distinct. Social work practice is intended to understand and respond to social problems, whereas EBP in mental health settings is designed to resolve more narrowly-defined problems of individual coping. The social workers recognized that the two practices could only really co-exist. However, they did note that social workers’ commitments to reinforce self-determination for clients have potentially important overlap with EBP’s attention to patient values and preferences. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

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