Factors Affecting Burn-Out among Case Managers: A Comparison Between Social Welfare Officials and Case Managers in Public Sector

Abstract

The current study aimed to (1) evaluate burnout and (2) identify factors affecting burnout of social welfare officials and case managers in the public sector. A cross-sectional online survey was performed from August to September 2021. The survey included questions about burnout, job environment, job resources, and demographic characteristics. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, t-tests, and two separate multiple regression analyses were conducted. A total of 238 respondents (96 social welfare officials and 142 case managers in the public sector) were included in the analysis. The results showed that social welfare officials had higher levels of burnout than case managers in the public sector. The study results showed that greater role conflict was associated with increased burnout in social welfare officials, while greater role ambiguity and role overload were associated with increased burnout in case managers in the public sector. Among the coping resources, job enthusiasm was found to have a negative effect on burnout for both social welfare officials and case managers in public sector, and ego-resilience had a significant negative effect on burnout for case managers in the public sector. Our findings revealed that factors affecting burnout may differ between social welfare officials and case managers in the public sector. Findings implies that tailored approaches are needed to prevent or reduce burnout of social welfare officials and case managers in the public sector.