Emotions, Feelings, and Experiences of Social Workers While Attending to Vulnerable Groups: A Qualitative Approach
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Approach
2.2. Recruitment and Sampling
2.3. Data Collection
2.4. Analysis
2.5. Ethical Aspects
3. Results
3.1. Working with Vulnerable Groups
3.1.1. Minors and the Elderly
You can’t avoid being touched by the toughest situations, such as those involving minors or the elderly [who are] on their own… (IDIs, P3).
…then, well, that… what I always say when there are cases and cases, when you see the despair of a daughter because her mother is ill and the resources she needs do not arrive… There are cases that have an impact, and that no matter how professional you are, you can’t help it, of course not! Because I’m also a person… (FGs1, P11).
My weak point, so to speak, is the elderly, especially those who are alone… Many needs arise, and sometimes they cannot be met, and I cannot help but take work home with me… (FGs2, P17).
There are users who inevitably impact your situation, or groups such as minors who are still fragile and innocent… And, you find cases where these minors have a rather difficult context and that touches your heart… (IDIs, P5).
3.1.2. People with Serious Mental Problems
…above all, patients with serious mental disorders, when they’re having delusions and hallucinations… and it’s so upsetting to think that nobody understands them, that nobody believes them, that they are in danger, that they feel threatened, and that causes me a lot of suffering, and to that, we must add the social aspect, when they see that the life project they had just like everybody else, their dreams… all is shattered… (IDIs, P5).
3.1.3. People with Scarce or a Lack of Economic Resources
…these are people who come to my office in great distress because they don’t have the most basic things to eat. I mean, they can’t even pay for water [bills]; they can’t afford the most basic items. Besides, these are chronic situations; they no longer know how to get out of that labyrinth (IDIs, P3).
There are families with real hardships; they do not even have a snack for their children to eat at school, and they’ve had it for a long time, and that distresses them so much that they come looking for you again and again… (FGs1, P9).
We have many users who are poor, but really poor; they do not even have the most basic needs covered… (IDIs, P4).
The fight against poverty that leads to social exclusion must be prioritized. We have seen families with children, families who have suffered evictions, people who have reached a situation of poverty without the possibility of any intervention, and who are constantly visiting you out of desperation… (FGs2, P20).
3.2. Emotions Emerging from Working with Vulnerable Groups
3.2.1. Anger
…and many times, you feel angry and helpless; of course you feel that [way], and whoever says they don’t is lying, because we [usually] see very tough situations… (FGs2, P14).
…sometimes I get angry; other times I get sad… It’s a constant state of alertness. That’s my natural state, [and it has been] for some time now (FGs1, P12).
When you see injustice, I feel tremendous anger; it makes me very angry that things are not done as they should… or that the response to a user is not what he needs (IDIs, P6).
There are days when you get very angry or upset about certain situations that we have to deal with… (IDIs, P2).
3.2.2. Sadness
…I feel like… how can I put it into words?… in a pyramid of dissatisfaction, in the sense that, you know, although you do everything you can, [you see] the outcome in the very long term, and then, in the meantime, you see those people here every day… (IDIs, P2).
…other times I have feelings of sadness… (FGs2, P19).
It is inevitable to feel sad on many occasions, when users are desperate and the answers do not come… (IDIs, P1).
Sometimes there are cases, people, who are in a difficult moment of their lives, and when they share their story with you, you feel a lot of sadness, although you cannot transmit it to them, but inside, you get sad… (FSs2, P18).
3.2.3. Fear
…powerlessness, frustration, or even fear… (FGs2, P17).
…and so, it scares me… (FGs2, P15)
There are situations where you feel fear… (IDIs, P3)
3.2.4. Concern
…but there are times and situations, quite exceptional ones, that I can’t help remembering; you definitely remember them… There are situations that I still do take home with me, although I’ve been [working this job] for many years, and you have to learn not to take [these situations] with you. Two, three…? or more [of these situations] a year, at least (FGs1, P13).
I guess situations stop shocking you with the passage of time, or you see it differently… But that does not mean that there are no cases that do not affect me, or that I [don’t] take them home, flitting around in my head… and you mull over them, or even after some time, you would remember that nothing could be done, you see that family member on the street and you remember. There are always situations that affect you…I don’t know… (IDIs, P1).
…I take problems home with me because [first] we’re people and then we’re professionals, and you’re there [trying to] figure out how to solve that situation… (FGs 1, P12).
…although you do everything you can, [you see] the outcome in the very long term… (IDIs, P2).
…when urgent cases arise and you can’t resolve them with the same urgency…you go home thinking “[hopefully] nothing [bad] happens by tomorrow,” and, well, you don’t even know if that’ll be resolved the next day (FGs2, P20).
…and when the user leaves, I think, what if by the time it’s resolved it’s too late…? And I know it’s not my fault, but I’m the one who’s facing the music… (FGs 2, P18).
…because I have cases [i.e., users] that you attend to and you tell them, “Come back tomorrow to finish this,” or that they have to wait for such-and-such… (FGs2, P18).
3.3. Need for Spaces for Self-Care
3.3.1. Mutual Support
…we support each other here and help each other quite a lot; the director is always there… and that makes a big difference. Maybe peer support is a useful tool to deal with the most vulnerable situations, or so that the most complex cases don’t affect you that much (IDIs, P6).
…[having a] good relationship with my peers always helps; for me that’s my therapy (FGs2, P15).
Sharing experiences with colleagues is a mechanism that comes in handy so as to manage all these situations of frustration or in order to consider what [other] alternatives may exist, in addition to the ones you already know (IDIs, P4).
…we are like a kind of group therapy, and [I have] wonderful colleagues; we support each other, really, at least in my experience (FGs 2, P13).
If there is a case that worries me, she always asks me the first one, always, and I feel very supported. Also, in this office, [which] is shared with another colleague, if you arrive from a bad day, especially tired from so many kilometers, we can share how the day has gone and we can let off steam between us (IDIs, P4).
The truth is that relationships with colleagues are very good, and you find support, and of course that matters; just talking and venting our feelings already help (IDIs, P1).
…I have colleagues who may have [many] more years of experience or who have already undergone a similar case and similar experiences. It’s always good that they give you, like, their insight (FGs1, P12).
3.3.2. Formal Spaces to Work Emotions
…from the upper management, they have to think about the professionals; we lack the tools to face the current situations we are experiencing… (FGs2, P15).
Yeah, why not? Spaces to work on emotional education or other types of therapies and teachings so as to care for professionals, [and] formal spaces to talk to peers. These can be things that greatly facilitate and favor the work of social workers and their professional and personal quality of life. Psychologists and others to be within our reach… All professionals need their own space, and I think that in the long run it may prove useful, so why not? (IDIs, P1).
I believe that emotional education and self-care must be present… emotional education must always be present, on a professional and [a] personal level. Spaces where we can formally work with our colleagues… (FGs2, P12).
…maybe it would be good to have a structured space for the self-care of professionals (FGs1, P13).
A space to take care of oneself would be great, spending time with each other while learning to work with emotions (IDIs, P5).
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Variables | Focus Group (N = 14) | In-Depth Interviews (N = 6) |
---|---|---|
Gender | ||
Female | 12 | 6 |
Male | 2 | - |
Marital status | ||
Married | 10 | 5 |
Single | 3 | 1 |
Others | 1 | - |
Work experience (years) | - | |
10–20 | 1 | 1 |
20–30 | 3 | 5 |
30–40 | 9 | 1 |
>40 | 1 | |
Area of work | ||
Community Services | 8 | 3 |
Health Services | 6 | 3 |
Categories | Subcategories |
---|---|
Working with vulnerable groups |
|
Emotions emerging from working with vulnerable groups |
|
Need for spaces for self-care |
|
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Ruiz-Fernández, M.D.; Ortiz-Amo, R.; Andina-Díaz, E.; Fernández-Medina, I.M.; Hernández-Padilla, J.M.; Fernández-Sola, C.; Ortega-Galán, Á.M. Emotions, Feelings, and Experiences of Social Workers While Attending to Vulnerable Groups: A Qualitative Approach. Healthcare 2021, 9, 87. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9010087
Ruiz-Fernández MD, Ortiz-Amo R, Andina-Díaz E, Fernández-Medina IM, Hernández-Padilla JM, Fernández-Sola C, Ortega-Galán ÁM. Emotions, Feelings, and Experiences of Social Workers While Attending to Vulnerable Groups: A Qualitative Approach. Healthcare. 2021; 9(1):87. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9010087
Chicago/Turabian StyleRuiz-Fernández, María Dolores, Rocío Ortiz-Amo, Elena Andina-Díaz, Isabel María Fernández-Medina, José Manuel Hernández-Padilla, Cayetano Fernández-Sola, and Ángela María Ortega-Galán. 2021. "Emotions, Feelings, and Experiences of Social Workers While Attending to Vulnerable Groups: A Qualitative Approach" Healthcare 9, no. 1: 87. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9010087
APA StyleRuiz-Fernández, M. D., Ortiz-Amo, R., Andina-Díaz, E., Fernández-Medina, I. M., Hernández-Padilla, J. M., Fernández-Sola, C., & Ortega-Galán, Á. M. (2021). Emotions, Feelings, and Experiences of Social Workers While Attending to Vulnerable Groups: A Qualitative Approach. Healthcare, 9(1), 87. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9010087