Stress and Burnout Among Social Workers: A Comprehensive Review of Causes, Consequences, and Interventions

Abstract

Social work is a profession deeply embedded in addressing human suffering, inequality, and crisis, which often exposes practitioners to elevated stress and burnout. This review comprehensively examines the multifaceted causes, consequences, and interventions related to stress and burnout among social workers. Major contributing factors include high caseloads, role ambiguity, limited organizational support, and secondary traumatic stress from continuous exposure to clients’ hardships. The consequences extend beyond personal well-being, manifesting in psychological distress, reduced job satisfaction, impaired professional performance, and high turnover rates, which collectively compromise the quality of care delivered to vulnerable populations. Interventions are explored at both individual and organizational levels. Individual strategies encompass mindfulness practices, self-care routines, and resilience-building techniques, while organizational measures include supportive supervision, workload adjustments, and policy-level reforms aimed at promoting mental health and professional sustainability. This review underscores the importance of a multi-dimensional approach that integrates personal coping strategies with systemic change to mitigate stress and burnout. By consolidating existing research, the paper highlights gaps in the literature and suggests directions for future inquiry, particularly in evidence-based interventions that foster long-term well-being and professional retention among social workers.