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An investigation of burnout amongst medical social workers working in children's wards

On t.p.: Master of Arts in Social Work (Welfare Programme management) / Thesis (MA(MW))--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Medical social workers working in children's wards are more prone to
burnout because of the stressful nature of their work. Because social
work requires emotional involvement, it is not uncommon for workers
to be emotionally drained and frustrated, which might lead to
burnout. Stress amongst social workers is an important issue, as a
stressed workforce can negatively affect the quality of service. This
study was undertaken with the aim of providing guidelines for
handling stress amongst medical social workers working in children's
wards, in order to promote job satisfaction and enhance work
performance.
Chronically ill children who are hospitalised, often suffer from
behavioural and emotional problems that require social work
intervention, which in turn puts pressure on the social worker.
Concurrent stressors on the children and their families may exhaust
their normal coping capacity and further complicate the child's
adaptation to hospitalisation. The role of the medical social worker is
to provide social support to the child and the family in order to
promote positive coping in the child during and after hospital
treatment. The demands put on the social worker by hospitalised
children can cause stress, which could adversely affect their work
performance and job satisfaction.
Social workers therefore, have to carefully select an appropriate
practice framework when dealing with hospitalised children. This
entails the selection of appropriate perspectives, theories and models
to ensure effective intervention. These frameworks provide structure
and directive to social work intervention, and combined with
supervision, can promote job satisfaction amongst medical social
workers. The study was undertaken amongst medical social workers working in
paediatric wards within hospitals in the Cape Metropolitan area. The
empirical study focused on an investigation of factors, which might
contribute to the experience of burnout amongst the social workers.
Work-related stressors playa major role in increasing the likelihood of
burnout amongst social workers. If these stressors are not properly
dealt with they might lead to burnout amongst medical social workers,
which will have a direct bearing on the child's benefit from medical
services. A combination of both organisationally based and
individually based strategies should be implemented in order to
overcome job-related stress and to prevent burnout. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Mediese maatskaplike werkers wat in kindersale werk, is meer geneig
tot uitbranding as gevolg van die stresvolle aard van hulle werk.
Maatskaplike werk vereis emosionele betrokkenheid. Dit is dus nie
ongewoon vir maatskaplike werkers om emosioneel gedreineerd en
gefrustreerd te voel nie. Laasgenoemde is kenmerke van uitbranding.
Oormatige stres by maatskaplike werkers kan 'n negatiewe uitwerking
op die kwaliteit van hul dienslewering hê. Hierdie navorsingstudie was
onderneem met die oog op die daarstelling van riglyne vir die
hantering van stres by mediese maatskaplike werkers, wat in
kindersale werk om sodoende werkstevredenheid en -verrigting te
bevorder.
Kroniese siek kinders wat gehospitaliseer word, presenteer dikwels
met gedrags- en emosionele probleme wat uiteraard tydens intervensie
addisionele druk op die maatskaplike werker plaas. Gepaardgaande
stressors kan daartoe lei dat pasiënte en hul gesinne afwyk van hul
normale funksionering wat weer die pasiënt se hanteringsvermoë en
aanpassing by die hospitaalopset belemmer. Die rol van die mediese
maatskaplike werker is om sosiale ondersteuning aan bogenoemde
partye te gee ten einde positiewe hanteringsvermoë tydens en na
mediese behandeling, by pasiënte te vestig. Die eise wat deur pasiënte
aan maatskaplike werkers gestel word kan stres veroorsaak wat hul
werksverrigtinge en tevredenheid negatief kan affekteer.
Maatskaplike werkers moet dus versigtig te werk gaan in die keuse
van 'n gepaste praktykraamwerk vir intervensie ten opsigte van
gehospitaliseerde kinders. 'n Verantwoordbare keuse van
perspektiewe, teorieë en modelle lê ten grondslag van effektiewe
maatskaplike werk intervensie. Hierdie raamwerke bied struktuur en
rigting aan maatskaplike werk intervensie. Laasgenoemde, tesame met
Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za
superviste kan werkstevredenheid onder mediese maatskaplike
werkers bevorder.
Stressors wat met werk verband hou, speel 'n groot rol in die toename
van uitbranding onder mediese maatskaplike werkers. Indien hierdie
stressors nie effektief hanteer word nie, kan dit tot uitbranding by
maatskaplike werkers ly wat dan weer die pasiënt se benutting van
mediese dienste negatief beïnvloed. Die ondersoekgroep het bestaan
uit tien mediese maatskaplike werkers wat werksaam was in
paediatriese sale in hospitale binne die Kaapse Metropool. Tydens 'n
empiriese ondersoek is gefokus op faktore wat moontlik aanleiding
kan gee tot die uitbranding van maatskaplike werkers.
Dit word dus aanbeveel dat 'n kombinasie van strategieë van beide die
orgarusaste en die persoon geïmplementeer moet word om
werksverwante stres te oorkom en dus uitbranding by mediese
maatskaplike werkers te voorkom.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/49843
Date04 1900
CreatorsLukelelo, Nomvuyo
ContributorsKruger, S., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Social Work.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageUnknown
TypeThesis
Formativ, 89 p. : ill.
RightsStellenbosch University

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