Self-efficacy and well-being in professionals working in gender-based violence: the role of recovery experiences and burnout.
Gender-based violence has consequences for the women who suffer it and also has a negative impact on the professionals who work in this area of social intervention. Given the complexity of this problem, professionals face different sources of stress every day. Constant and sustained stressful situations can generate in this group of professionals a state of emotional tension that increases the risk of suffering professional burnout, which affects the quality of care offered to the victims who come to their services. What happens to this group of professionals? Do they believe they are capable of dealing with the situation effectively? How could their well-being be assured and improved? Could they improve their well-being if they carry out physical and mental recovery strategies?
At the Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center of the University of Granada (UGR), a group of researchers from the Social Psychology and Gender Laboratory (https://psygender-ugr.es/) and the Psychology of Social Problems group (HUM-289, https://www.pps-ugr.es/labs/psicologia-social-y-genero/), carried out an investigation with the aim of examining whether self-efficacy -defined as the beliefs and judgments that an individual holds about their own abilities to achieve a goal and/or effectively cope with stressful situations- and recovery strategies could reduce professional burnout, and consequently increase their psychological well-being.
The results of this research revealed that self-efficacy was positively associated with psychological well-being through increased recovery experiences (psychological detachment and relaxation), and decreased emotional exhaustion. Specifically, high levels of self-efficacy were associated with greater psychological detachment from work, leading to less emotional exhaustion and, consequently, greater psychological well-being. Similarly, high levels of self-efficacy were associated with greater performance of relaxation-inducing activities, leading to less emotional exhaustion and, in turn, increased levels of psychological well-being.
In conclusion, these findings emphasize the need to develop intervention programs aimed at improving the self-efficacy of professionals working on gender-based violence, which is essential to improve their work situation and health, and to optimize both institutional resources and the quality of the services offered.
Reference:
Beltrán-Morillas, A.M., Sánchez-Hernández, M.D., Herrera, M.C., Villanueva-Moya, L., & Expósito, F. (2023). Self-Efficacy and Well-Being in Professionals Working in Intimate Partner Violence: Recovery Experiences and Burnout as Associated Variables. Psychological Reports. 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941231183331
Contact:
Ana María Beltrán Morillas (@email)
María Dolores Sánchez Hernández (@email)
María del Carmen Herrera (@email)
Laura Villanueva Moya (@email)
Francisca Expósito (@email)