Poczucie wypalenia zawodowego a style radzenia sobie ze stresem pracowników sektora opieki geriatrycznej
The Feeling of Occupational Burnout and the Styles of Coping With Stress Among Geriatric Care Sector Employees

Summary/Abstract: Poland has crossed the threshold of demographic aging in 1986. Since then the number of older people in Poland has been steadily increasing, with a particularly dynamic increase in the percentage of people in the so-called advanced stages of aging, i.e., those over 80 years of age. This phenomenon generates a growing demand for assistance to seniors and the development of gerontological care services. However, the specific nature of work in the geriatric care sector is associated with significant mental and physical strain, resulting from, among other things, the daily need to cope with the suffering, chronic illnesses, and limitations of those in care, as well as the significant responsibility for their health and well-being. Such working conditions promote chronic stress, which can consequently lead to the development of burnout syndrome. This article is empirical in nature, and the primary aim of the research was to determine the relationship between the level of burnout among geriatric care workers and their preferred stress coping styles. The study was conducted among 205 employees working in social welfare institutions serving the elderly in the lubelskie, podkarpackie and masovian voivodeships. The results indicate that the vast majority of respondents were characterized by high levels of burnout in terms of depersonalization and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment, as well as average levels of emotional exhaustion. This means that employees often distance themselves emotionally from those in their care, experience dissatisfaction with their own professional achievements and their mental energy gradually depletes. These results confirm that the specific nature of work in geriatric care places particularly high demands on employees, and that the stress coping strategies they employ have a significant impact on the development or mitigation of burnout symptoms.

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