THE OCCUPATIONAL STRESS IN SOCIAL WORKERS: SOURCES OF STRESS AND BURNOUT AT WORK

Abstract

Profesionalni stres je pojava kojoj su nerijetko izloženi stručnjaci pomagačkih profesija, u koje se ubrajaju i socijalni radnici. Neusklađenost između zahtjeva vezanih uz posao i okoline, odnosno nemogućnosti da se tim zahtjevima udovolji dovode do profesionalnog stresa. Jedan od njegovih krajnjih negativnih ishoda je sagorijevanje na poslu, koje se najšire može shvatiti kao proces koji dovodi do potpune profesionalne iscrpljenosti i u konačnici može rezultirati apatijom. Cilj ovog rada je dati uvid u istraživanja o izvorima stresa i sagorijevanju na poslu kod socijalnih radnika, s posebnim osvrtom na nalaze relativno rijetkih domaćih istraživanja, te pokušati objediniti najčešće nalaze o izvorima stresa i sagorijevanju na poslu kod socijalnih radnika.Social work professionals, like many other experts from helping professions, are exposed to the occupational stress phenomenon. The occupation stress arises from the inconsistency between work and the social environment demands and one’s inability to meet these demands. Hence, its negative end result is the burnout at work. From a broader perspective it could be argued that, burn-out at work is a process that leads one to a complete professional exhaustion which could result in one feeling utterly lethargic. Thus, insight into the research on the main sources of stress and burnout at work among the social work professionals is the aim of this paper. More so, the special emphasis will be put on the local research. Finally, the paper will aim to consolidate the most frequent research findings in regards to the sources of stress and burnout at work among the social work professionals