Psychological Protective and Risk Factors for Depression, Anxiety and Mental Well-Being in Social Workers

Social workers worldwide experience high rates of depression, anxiety and deficits in well-being. Depression, anxiety or poor mental well-being can have a significant effect on the individual social worker, and the quality of care they can provide. There have been limited attempts to examine and understand the underlying psychological protective and risk factors for depression, anxiety and poor well-being amongst social workers. Using the clinically modified Buddhist psychological model (CBPM) as a theoretical framework, this cross-sectional study examined a range of potential psychological protective and risk factors for depression, anxiety and mental well-being of 121 social workers in Northern Ireland, using structural equation modelling, and conditional process analyses. Mindfulness, acceptance, attention regulation/decentering skills, self-compassion, non-attachment and non-aversion could act as protective factors against depression, anxiety and poor mental well-being in social workers. Results also indicate that each of these variables could reduce the extent to which social workers worry and ruminate, further reducing the risk that social workers might experience depression, anxiety, or poor mental well-being. This study offers promising preliminary evidence that the CBPM is a useful explanatory framework which helps to explain variation in depression, anxiety and mental well-being amongst social workers. Social workers worldwide experience high rates of depression, anxiety and poor mental well-being. We still don't know what aspects of a social worker's psychology make them more prone to experiencing depression, anxiety and issues with their mental well-being. This study examined if the degree to which a social worker was: (i) presented focussed (mindfulness), (ii) able to recognise their thoughts as just thoughts, and not facts (attention regulation), (iii) accept their thoughts, and emotions, as they are, without judgement (acceptance), (iv) not become attached to, or (v) fearful of, the content of their thoughts and emotions (non-attachment and non-aversion) and (vi) able to be kind to themselves, and recognise themselves as part of a greater whole within society (self-compassion), would individually and collectively explain variation in depression, anxiety and mental well-being in social workers. This study also examined if these qualities might lead to social workers experiencing less worry and rumination, and in doing so also experience reduced depression, anxiety and mental well-being. This study's findings indicate that if social workers develop their capacities for mindfulness, attention regulation, acceptance, non-attachment, non-aversion and self-compassion, they will experience reduced worry, rumination, depression and anxiety symptoms, and improvements in their mental well-being.