Paula McFadden

Bio: Paula McFadden is an academic researcher from Ulster University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Social work & Burnout. The author has an hindex of 8, co-authored 24 publications receiving 382 citations. Previous affiliations of Paula McFadden include Queen's University Belfast.

Resilience and Burnout in Child Protection Social Work: Individual and Organisational Themes from a Systematic Literature Review

Abstract: Child protection social work is acknowledged as a very stressful occupation with high turnover and poor retention of staff being a major concern. This paper highlights themes that emerged from findings of 65 articles that were included as part of a systematic literature review. The review focused on the evaluation of research findings, which considered individual and organizational factors associated with resilience or burnout in child protection social work staff. The results identified a range of individual and organizational themes for staff in child protection social work. Nine themes were identified in total. These are categorised under ‘Individual’ and ‘Organizational’ themes. Themes categorised as individual included, personal history of maltreatment, training and preparation for child welfare, coping, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction. Those classified as organisational included workload, social support and supervision, organizational culture and climate, organizational and professional commitment and job satisfaction or dissatisfaction. The range of factors are discussed with recommendations and areas for future research are highlighted.

The Role of Coping in the Wellbeing and Work-Related Quality of Life of UK Health and Social Care Workers during COVID-19.

Abstract: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic in early 2020. Due to the rapid spread of the virus and limited availability of effective treatments, health and social care systems worldwide quickly became overwhelmed. Such stressful circumstances are likely to have negative impacts on health and social care workers' wellbeing. The current study examined the relationship between coping strategies and wellbeing and quality of working life in nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, social care workers and social workers who worked in health and social care in the UK during its first wave of COVID-19. Data were collected using an anonymous online survey (N = 3425), and regression analyses were used to examine the associations of coping strategies and demographic characteristics with staff wellbeing and quality of working life. The results showed that positive coping strategies, particularly active coping and help-seeking, were associated with higher wellbeing and better quality of working life. Negative coping strategies, such as avoidance, were risk factors for low wellbeing and worse quality of working life. The results point to the importance of organizational and management support during stressful times, which could include psycho-education and training about active coping and might take the form of workshops designed to equip staff with better coping skills.

Extending the two-process model of burnout in child protection workers: The role of resilience in mediating burnout via organizational factors of control, values, fairness, reward, workload, and community relationships

Abstract: Burnout has been disproportionally reported in child protection social work. This paper presents data from 162 child protection staff in Northern Ireland, assessed for burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Path models were estimated, based on an extension of the two-process demands and values model (Leiter, 2008) to include additional measures of resilience using the Resilience Scale-14, as well as perceived rewards and sense of community from the Areas of Work Life Scale (Leiter, 2008). Optimal model fit was achieved by modelling resilience as a mediator of the relationship between organizational factors of control and value congruence and burnout. Resilience also directly predicted emotional exhaustion (β = −.23, p < .005) and personal accomplishment (β = .46, p < .001). Workload was the strongest direct predictor of emotional exhaustion (β = −.54, p < .001). Adding perceived rewards to extend the two-process model resulted in moderate associations with control (β = .44, p < .001), workload (β = .26, p < .005), fairness (β = .40, p < .001), and values (β = .32, p < .001). In the final model, resilience is modelled as both an outcome of some organizational factors whilst also making a unique direct contribution to explaining burnout alongside other organizational factors. Other pathways and mediating relationships are reported and further research directions discussed.

Explaining Self-Reported Resilience in Child-Protection Social Work: The Role of Organisational Factors, Demographic Information and Job Characteristics

Abstract: Child protection social work is a stressful occupation that results in workforce concerns about poor levels of staff retention and high levels of inexperience. This paper presents results from a cross-sectional survey and reports findings from a sample of 162 Northern Irish social-workers. The sample were measured for ‘resilience’ (acceptance of self and life and individual competence, RS14 Resilience Scale.), ‘burnout’ (emotional exhaustion EE; depersonalization DP; personal accomplishment PA, Maslach Burnout Inventory) and organizational subscales (workload, community, values, equity and control, Areas of Worklife Scale). Pearson zero-order correlations showed that higher resilience was associatedwith lower EE and higher PA. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to identify unique demographic and work specific predictors of resilience in addition to the Areas of Worklife subscales of Control and Values. The final model significantly accounted for 27% of the variance in resilience scores providing increased knowledge about resilience enhancing factors.As resilience is not an apolitical concept, the wider debates and politics of resilience are acknowledged. Specifically, contextual concerns are addressed which relate to the organizational factors that impact on social workers. The paper concludes calling for organizational interventions to support resilience in social workers and maintain expertise in child protection services.

Systematically Identifying Relevant Research : Case Study on Child Protection Social workers' Resilience

Abstract: Context: The development of a consolidated knowledge base for social work requires rigorous approaches to identifying relevant research. Method: The quality of ten databases and a web search engine were appraised by systematically searching for research articles on resilience and burnout in child protection social workers. Results: ASSIA, Social Services Abstracts and Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) had greatest sensitivity, each retrieving more than double any other database. PsycINFO and CINAHL had highest precision. Google Scholar had modest sensitivity, and good precision in relation to the first 100 items. SSCI, Google Scholar, Medline and CINAHL retrieved the highest number of hits not retrieved by any other database.Conclusion: A range of databases is required for even modestly-comprehensive searching. Advanced database searching methods are being developed but the profession requires greater standardisation of terminology to assist in information retrieval

Annual Review of Psychology

Abstract: This is a high impact journal published by Annual Reviews, Inc., a nonprofit scientific publisher established in 1929 to promote the advancement of the sciences through critical reviews. Covering all areas of psychology research and practice, the Annual Review of Psychology is planned by a rotating committee of eight distinguished psychologists who invite qualified authors to contribute reviews of significant developments in the discipline.

Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health Care Workers in Singapore

Abstract: Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health Care Workers in Singapore Background: In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Singapore raised its Disease Outbreak Response System Condition alert to “orange,” the second highest level. Between 19 February and 13 March 2020, confirmed cases rose from 84 to 200 (34.2 per 1 000 000 population), with an increase in patients in critical condition from 4 to 11 (5.5%) and no reported deaths in Singapore (1). Understanding the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak among health care workers is crucial in guiding policies and interventions to maintain their psychological well-being. Objective: To examine the psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and stress experienced by health care workers in Singapore in the midst of the outbreak, and to compare these between medically and non–medically trained hospital personnel. Methods and Findings: From 19 February to 13 March 2020, health care workers from 2 major tertiary institutions in Singapore who were caring for patients with COVID-19 were invited to participate with a self-administered questionnaire. LETTERS