Effective Interventions to Reduce Burnout in Social Workers: A Systematic Review

Social workers are at risk of developing burnout, which is associated with many adverse implications including increased risk of depression. A number of intervention studies have aimed to reduced burnout in this population, however, a systematic review of the evidence has yet to be performed. This review therefore aimed to fill that gap. A comprehensive search of major academic databases was conducted and the inclusion criteria were interventions that reported pre and post measures of burnout outcomes within a population of qualified social workers. Of the 2,456 records identified, nine were included in the review. Results showed that a number of burnout interventions have been developed for social workers, including mindfulness-based interventions, group-based skills training, exercise and taking a sabbatical. However, the overall quality of the studies was poor and therefore definitive recommendations for effective interventions could not be offered. Mindfulness-based and group skills development interventions warrant further investigation and organisational or institutional change to tackle burn out alongside individual level interventions is crucial. It was concluded that future burnout intervention researchers should implement a greater methodological rigour, use theory to underpin intervention approaches, adopt a longitudinal design where possible and administer validated measures of burnout.