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Understanding Burnout in Child and Youth Care Workers

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Abstract

Burnout is a major concern in human service occupations as it has been linked to turnover, absenteeism, a reduction in the quality of services, numerous physical and psychological disorders, and a disruption in interpersonal relations (Maslach et al. 2001). Child and youth care workers are especially susceptible to burnout as the inherent challenges of working within the life-space of high-risk children and youth causes difficulties in attracting and retaining qualified employees. In the present study, burnout was measured in a group of 94 child and youth care workers from 8 agencies in a Western Canadian city using the three dimensional model of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The MBI conceptualizes burnout as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a lack of a sense of personal accomplishment. Among these child and youth care workers each of the three dimensions of burnout was predicted by a combination of work environment, personality, and social support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Sean W. Barford & William J. Whelton

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  1. Sean W. Barford
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  2. William J. Whelton
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Correspondence to Sean W. Barford.

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Barford, S.W., Whelton, W.J. Understanding Burnout in Child and Youth Care Workers. Child Youth Care Forum 39, 271–287 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-010-9104-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-010-9104-8

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