Social workers’ views and experiences of self-care practices: a qualitative interview study
Self-care is increasingly advocated as necessary for improving social workers’ wellbeing. However, it remains a contested term, with limited understanding of social workers’ views and experiences of what it constitutes in practice. This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with nine...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1585900/full |
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| author | Miao Jian Pearse Mccusker Mary Mitchell Autumn Roesch-Marsh Sarah Rose Lora Petrova |
| author_facet | Miao Jian Pearse Mccusker Mary Mitchell Autumn Roesch-Marsh Sarah Rose Lora Petrova |
| author_sort | Miao Jian |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Self-care is increasingly advocated as necessary for improving social workers’ wellbeing. However, it remains a contested term, with limited understanding of social workers’ views and experiences of what it constitutes in practice. This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with nine social workers from three local authorities in Scotland. Informed by vulnerability theory, a six-phase thematic analysis was applied to explore social workers’ views and experiences of self-care practices. Three key themes emerged: (1) understanding and conceptualizing self-care, illustrating practitioners’ perceptions of self-care as individualized, multifaceted strategies aimed at both personal wellbeing and professional efficacy, with heightened awareness since COVID-19; (2) the implementation paradox, highlighting fundamental tensions between acknowledging professional vulnerability and managing organizational demands, workload pressures, and insufficient institutional support; and (3) toward sustainable self-care practice, identifying pathways through deliberate individual practices, organizational support, educational preparation, and culturally-sensitive policies. Public health policymakers and healthcare organizations should prioritize structural reforms to enhance workforce resilience, thereby improving service quality, practitioner wellbeing, and overall public health outcomes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e2d51b0fa5b84eb4b9504139724c4b86 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-e2d51b0fa5b84eb4b9504139724c4b862025-08-20T03:42:02ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652025-03-011310.3389/fpubh.2025.15859001585900Social workers’ views and experiences of self-care practices: a qualitative interview studyMiao Jian0Pearse Mccusker1Mary Mitchell2Autumn Roesch-Marsh3Sarah Rose4Lora Petrova5Department of Social Work & Social Policy, School of Sociology, Nankai University, Tianjin, ChinaSchool of Social and Political Science, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United KingdomSchool of Social and Political Science, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United KingdomSchool of Social and Political Science, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United KingdomSchool of Health and Social Care, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, Scotland, United KingdomSchool of Social and Political Science, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United KingdomSelf-care is increasingly advocated as necessary for improving social workers’ wellbeing. However, it remains a contested term, with limited understanding of social workers’ views and experiences of what it constitutes in practice. This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with nine social workers from three local authorities in Scotland. Informed by vulnerability theory, a six-phase thematic analysis was applied to explore social workers’ views and experiences of self-care practices. Three key themes emerged: (1) understanding and conceptualizing self-care, illustrating practitioners’ perceptions of self-care as individualized, multifaceted strategies aimed at both personal wellbeing and professional efficacy, with heightened awareness since COVID-19; (2) the implementation paradox, highlighting fundamental tensions between acknowledging professional vulnerability and managing organizational demands, workload pressures, and insufficient institutional support; and (3) toward sustainable self-care practice, identifying pathways through deliberate individual practices, organizational support, educational preparation, and culturally-sensitive policies. Public health policymakers and healthcare organizations should prioritize structural reforms to enhance workforce resilience, thereby improving service quality, practitioner wellbeing, and overall public health outcomes.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1585900/fullsocial workervulnerabilityself-careexperienceworkplace wellbeingmental health |
| spellingShingle | Miao Jian Pearse Mccusker Mary Mitchell Autumn Roesch-Marsh Sarah Rose Lora Petrova Social workers’ views and experiences of self-care practices: a qualitative interview study Frontiers in Public Health social worker vulnerability self-care experience workplace wellbeing mental health |
| title | Social workers’ views and experiences of self-care practices: a qualitative interview study |
| title_full | Social workers’ views and experiences of self-care practices: a qualitative interview study |
| title_fullStr | Social workers’ views and experiences of self-care practices: a qualitative interview study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social workers’ views and experiences of self-care practices: a qualitative interview study |
| title_short | Social workers’ views and experiences of self-care practices: a qualitative interview study |
| title_sort | social workers views and experiences of self care practices a qualitative interview study |
| topic | social worker vulnerability self-care experience workplace wellbeing mental health |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1585900/full |
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