How Social Workers Cope with Managed Care

Abstract

The study reported in this paper examined the relationships between social workers' experiences when interfacing with managed care organizations, coping strategies, burnout, and somatic symptoms associated with stress. A sample of 591 social workers completed questionnaires that included demographic questions and measures of perceived competence in the context of managed care, coping strategies, burnout, and somatic symptoms. Multiple regression analyses revealed that coping had statistically significant correlations with several burnout dimensions and with workers' perceived competence in the context of managed care. As coping provided the most comprehensive influence on workers' psychological and somatic reactions associated with burnout, the author suggests that agencies provide social workers with adequate training to promote workers' use of effective coping styles that are appropriate when interfacing with managed care organizations.

Keywords:

• managed care
• emotional exhaustion
• depersonalization
• personal accomplishment
• somatic symptoms
• perceived competence in the context of managed care
• coping strategies