The Impact of COVID-19 on Social Workers: An Assessment of Peritraumatic Distress

J. Jay Miller, Erlene Grise-Owens

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Summary: There is broad consensus that COVID-19 has had a pernicious impact on social work, in general, and among social work practitioners, more specifically. However, at present, very few, if any, empirical examinations of this impact exist. This exploratory study examined peritraumatic distress among a sample of social workers (N = 3920) in one southeastern state in the United States. Findings: Analysis suggests that distress is impacted by several variables. In general, participants identifying as male, married, reporting good physical and mental health, working in microcontexts, and who were finically secure tended to experience less COVID-19 associated distress. In addition, social workers identifying as LGBTQ* and who had been working mostly remotely experienced higher levels of distress. Applications: Overall, findings indicate the need to provide adept support to social workers practicing during the pandemic. Data suggest the need for targeted support initiatives, typically for those who are from underrepresented groups (e.g., LGBTQ*) or experiencing financial or mental/physical health issues. Certainly, researchers should continue to examine the impact of COVID-19 on social work practitioners and service delivery.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)674-691
Number of pages18
JournalJournal of Social Work
Volume22
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2021.

Keywords

  • Social work
  • human rights
  • research
  • research minded practice
  • resilience
  • social service

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

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