Social Workers' Attitudes towards Evidence-based Practice: A Multidimensional Perspective

The current study presents a multidimensional model that integrates social workers' demographics, organisational context variables, evidence-based practice (EBP)-related factors and mental health variables and explores their contribution to social workers' attitudes to implementing EBP. This model aims to fill a gap in the limited empirical knowledge regarding the relative and joint contribution of these factors to explaining social workers' attitudes towards EBP, with an emphasis on mental health-related factors not sufficiently explored in this context to date. Structured questionnaires were administered to a sample of 560 Israeli social workers. The research findings revealed that length of professional experience, role ambiguity, work overload and burnout were negatively associated with attitudes to EBP. In contrast, possession of professional skills required for EBP implementation, workplace social support, organisational encouragement to implement EBP, exposure to colleagues' implementation of EBP and subjective well-being were positively associated with social workers' attitudes to EBP. No association was found between self-reported familiarity with EBP principles and attitudes to EBP. Improving social workers' organisational climate, remediating necessary EBP-related skills and encouraging the implementation and modelling of EBP at work, as well as addressing social workers' mental health issues, may significantly improve their attitudes towards implementing EBP in their professional practice. The evidence-based practice (EBP) approach integrates social worker professional knowledge and experience with the most relevant research evidence, along with client needs, preferences and circumstances, with the aim of improving client outcomes by providing high-quality care. Studies emphasise the salient role of social workers' attitudes towards EBP in determining their willingness to integrate it in their practice. Albeit, these attitudes are not necessarily supportive. Therefore, in order to diminish barriers to the integration of EBP in social work settings, it is critical to identify factors that help explain social worker attitudes towards EBP. Hence, the current study proposes an innovative approach that integrates demographic, organisational, EBP related and mental health variables (the latter not sufficiently explored in this context to date) in relation to social workers' attitudes towards EBP. Structured questionnaires were administered to a sample of 560 Israeli social workers. The research findings revealed that length of professional experience, role ambiguity, work overload and burnout were negatively associated with attitudes towards EBP. Workplace social support, professional skills, organisational encouragement to implement EBP, exposure to colleagues' implementation of EBP and subjective well-being were positively associated with attitudes towards EBP. The findings of this study may assist policymakers and managers in developing programmes designed to improve social worker attitudes towards EBP and promote its integration in social service settings.