Jenkins SR, Ingram T; International Conference on AIDS.

Int Conf AIDS. 1996 Jul 7-12; 11: 200 (abstract no. We.D.3873).

Psychology Dept., University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA. Fax: 817-565-4682. E-mail: jenkinss@terrill.unt.edu.

Objective: To describe job stresses (major concerns) and coping patterns of HIV service workers, relating these to job features and burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory; emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment, often related to poor job performance, psychological symptoms, and job turnover). Methods: Anonymous materials were mailed back by 43 men and 69 women, mostly college-educated (52%) and Caucasian (75%), working in Texas agencies as counselors (20%), managers (31%), medical personnel (19%), or social workers (27%). Work involved handling blood products for 44%. The 23-item concerns scale factored into giving good care, ethical sensitivity, stigma, and unsupported stress. The 64-item coping scale yielded 7 factors. Results: Workers with more client contact hours were more concerned about HIV stigma, r=.24, unsupported stress, r=.24, and giving good care, r=.19, and reported more emotional exhaustion, r=.24, and depersonalization, r=.25. Those handling blood products were more concerned about giving good care, rpb=.26, ethical sensitivity, rpb=.26, and stigma, rpb=.22. HIV counselors (rpb=.25) and administrators (rpb=.23) reported using social support to cope with job stresses; counselors also used ruminative fantasies (rpb=.25), whereas social workers avoided them (rpb=.24), and also avoided positive reappraisal coping (rpb=-.29). Workers more concerned with giving good care coped by problem-solving, r=.32, distraction, r=.31, ruminative fantasies, r=.21, or recreational activities, r=.20. Those concerned with ethical sensitivity coped by ruminative fantasies, r=.42, distraction, r=.38, problem-solving, r=.22, or positive reappraisal, r=.21. Those concerned about stigma or unsupported stress coped by distraction, r=.25 and r=.19 respectively. Unsupported stress was related to all three aspects of burnout: emotional exhaustion, r=.36, deperson-alization, r=.34, and reduced personal accomplishment, r=-.22 (all p is less than .05). Thus, it may mark burnout risk. Conclusions: Job features were related to workers' major concerns, which were related their coping choices. Client contact hours and concern about unsupported stress were related to major aspects of burnout. Workers under these conditions may benefit from special agency efforts to address their concerns and improve coping to prevent burnout.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Adaptation, Psychological
• Anxiety
• Depersonalization
• Female
• HIV Seropositivity
• Health Personnel
• Humans
• Male
• Social Support
• Social Work
• Texas

Other ID:

• 96924163

UI: 102220062

From Meeting Abstracts