How to protect those who protect: psychosocial risks in child welfare workers during the pandemic

ABSTRACT

Child welfare professionals face elevated psychosocial risks, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet they are often overlooked in specialized literature, especially for Spanish workers. Most studies use linear models, neglecting nonlinear relationships. This study examined the role of job demands, resources, and COVID-19 impact on burnout, psychosomatic problems, and work engagement in 196 Spanish child welfare professionals. Demands predicted burnout and psychosomatic problems in both Hierarchical Regression Modelling (HRM) and Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). Resources positively predicted engagement in both analyses. COVID-19 impact was significantly related to psychosomatic problems in QCA, highlighting nuances not captured by HRM.

KEYWORDS:

• Child welfare
• burnout
• HRM
• QCA
• psychosomatic problems

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

L. Sanchis-Giménez

Lucía Sanchis Giménez is a recent graduate in Psychology from the University of Valencia. She is about to begin her Master’s studies in Occupational Risk Prevention, combining it with her increasing track record of publications. She focuses on psychosocial risks and how they affect the health of different professional groups, such as teachers or nurses.

M. Viera-Abelleira

Marcelo Viera Abelleira is an associate Professor at the Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir, Faculty of Teaching and Educational Sciences, Pedagogical coordinator of the Child and Adolescent Protection Programme of the Amigó Foundation in the Levante area and coordinator of sports and Erasmus + programmes in the Valencian Community belonging to residential foster care resources. He specialises in socio-educational and psychosocial intervention with children and adolescents at risk and social exclusion.

C. Pérez-Campos

Carlos Pérez Campos is a university lecturer with 15 years of teaching experience in Physical Education at the Universitat de Valencia. He holds multiple degrees in education and a Ph.D. focusing on service quality in sports events. His research interests include sports management and education, with numerous publications and competitive projects to his credit.

V. Prado-Gascó

Vicente Prado Gascó is a Full Professor at the University of Valencia, holding two PhDs in Psychology from the University of Valencia and the University Jaume I of Castellón. With more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, he is a renowned researcher on organizational psychology, as well as a lecturer in the Department of Social Psychology at the University of Valencia and tutor in three doctoral programs in psychology at the University of Valencia. His research focuses on psychosocial risks in occupational sectors with high mental health vulnerability, such as teachers and nurses.

A. Tamarit

Alicia Tamarit is a Postdoctoral Researcher currently on a Visiting Appointment at King’s College London, where she focuses in mental health inequalities in the LGTBIAQ+ community. She is based at the University of Valencia, specialising in queer studies and occupational health of gender and sexual minorities. She also combines her academic work with activism in science as a member of PRISMA (Association for Affective-Sexual and Gender Diversity in Science, Technology, and Innovation).