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).

Studies have shown that emergency mental health trauma (EMHT) services can significantly reduce the long-term effects of trauma after a disaster. However, rural municipalities may find they do not have the capacity to create such a service, or may not realize that their disaster planning includes no provision for emergency mental health care. Such was the case in a rural island community in the state of Washington, where, in 2014, several residents initiated a discussion that helped to identify the community's lack of EMHT services. This project, framed by action research and based on collaboration theory, sought to advance the potential for the community's 21 resident social workers to address this issue collaboratively. Accordingly, the project's research question asked how social workers on south Whidbey Island perceived the issue of a rural EMHT service in their community. Data consisted of responses from 8 participants who completed mailed questionnaires and participated in brief telephone interviews. Descriptive coding analysis of the data confirmed a nearly universal lack of knowledge about an EMHT service, a clear perception of the need for such a service, and a unanimous commitment from the respondents to participate in addressing this problem. Such collaborative activity is expected to have a positive impact on the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of social work practice in south Whidbey, as well as on the community itself, not only in spearheading a dialogue about EMHT but also in activating a group of social workers who had no prior association.