Burnout among Entering MSW Students: Exploring the Role of Personal Attributes

Abstract

Although individual susceptibility to burnout within a similar structural context is well-documented in other helping professions, little is known about the relationship between personal attributes and burnout in social work. Furthermore, despite a large number of entering MSW students with prior work experience, there is a paucity of research documenting the burnout phenomenon among them. By using a sample of MSW students with prior work experience (N=60), the current study examined the effect of personal attributes on burnout (i.e., overidentification tendency, trait anxiety, and emotional contagion). Findings imply that burnout depends on personal attributes, rooted in cognitive role-taking levels, and that emotional contagion has a significant role in burnout. Implications for social work education and practice are discussed.