Burnout and Self Esteem among Social Workers in Gaza-Palestine

Abstract:

 Purpose: This study determined the prevalence of Burnout Syndrome among Palestinian social workers in Gaza Strip. Tools: The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Self-Esteem Scale (Richardson & Benbow, 1990) questionnaire were distributed to all eligible social workers in Gaza (n=250). One hundred and seventy six (176) participants completed and returned the questionnaire with response rate 70.40%. Result: Participants reported high prevalence of burnout syndrome which represented as follows: 56.2% high level of Emotional Exhaustions (EE), 67.0% high level of Depersonalisation (DP) and 85.8% high level of Reduced Personal Accomplishment (RPA). Positive self esteem was correlated negatively with burnout. Results indicated significant differences in burnout due to age (being younger), experience (less experienced) and type of employer (neither governmental nor UNRWA). Females were more burnout but did not reach significant difference. Conclusion: It can be concluded that Palestinian social workers in Gaza are highly burnout. Burnout reduction programme is suggested and comfortable working environment is recommended.

Key words: Burnout, self-esteem social worker, Gaza