The Resident Assistant position is a leadership role available to college students interested in expanding their interpersonal and administrative skills. These students serve as a “first line of defense” for colleges and universities in supporting their peers, managing crises, and identifying students of concern for the institution. While existing literature has clearly identified the personal and professional benefits of the Resident Assistant role, it has also examined the negative impact of the role, specifically the increased likelihood of these students experiencing the phenomenon of burnout. However, there is limited qualitative research available on this subject to give voice to how Resident Assistants make meaning of their burnout experiences and do or do not seek help for these concerns. The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of Resident Assistants as they relate to help-seeking behaviors and burnout or compassion fatigue. By exploring these issues, this study will complement existing literature on the lives of Resident Assistants, and also fill a gap associated with the qualitative inquiry needed to fully understand their mental health and stress in the position. The study uses a qualitative research design to examine the stories of eight Resident Assistants who participated in semi-structured interviews. The participants were identified as having a high level of burnout through the use of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. The study takes place at a large urban research institution in the Mid-Atlantic region, which houses approximately 6,000 students in its residence halls. The findings from this study demonstrate that Resident Assistants perceive each other as their strongest support system and share a common belief that unless you've lived the experience, it cannot be understood. Findings also reveal a variety of factors that impact and intensify burnout specifically the feeling of being “always on” or constantly engaged in giving help to others which leads to emotional exhaustion. Finally, Resident Assistants highlighted factors from within Residential Life and within their personal lives that impact their levels of burnout and likelihood to seek support for these issues. / Educational Leadership
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TEMPLE/oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/3167 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Creators | Laverty, Susan Lynn |
| Contributors | Davis, James Earl, 1960-, DuCette, Joseph P., Tobin, Renée Margaret, Walinsky, Daniel Saul, 1976- |
| Publisher | Temple University. Libraries |
| Source Sets | Temple University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 143 pages |
| Rights | IN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Relation | http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/3149, Theses and Dissertations |
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