Abstract
Informed by Lazarus and Folkman's (Citation1984) theory of stress and coping, the current study examined the buffering effect of self‐detachment against emotional exhaustion among second‐year MSW students, controlling for social support. Utilizing triangulation, 28 students completed a quantitative survey, and a subset of 22 students also participated in a qualitative interview. Both quantitative and qualitative results supported the hypothesized buffering effect of self‐detachment and social support against emotional exhaustion. Implications for social work education are discussed.