Healthy Social Work – Health Risks and Prevention Potential among Social Workers in Germany

Status:

completed 05/2026

Aims:

Social workers are confronted with increasing demands regarding flexibility and increased mental stress. This occupational group has a high risk of burnout and a high sickness rate. It is not yet clear to what extent the changed working conditions have an impact on mental stress and the consequences of stress among social workers. The COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing shortage of skilled workers have exacerbated the situation. The main aim of the study is to systematically record and analyze the work-related mental stress and stress consequences of social workers in Germany and to derive implications for action. The aim is to obtain comprehensive data that will enable a detailed analysis of work-related mental stress and its consequences as well as a comparison with other professions and occupational groups. In addition to providing insight into the specific stress factors and the associated health consequences, the results will serve as a basis for the development of prevention and health promotion measures. These can contribute to the improvement of working conditions in social work.

Activities/Methods:

An explanatory study using quantitative empirical methods was conducted: An online questionnaire was used to survey the psychosocial working conditions and health-related and motivational outcomes among social workers in Germany through multiple channels. The use of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) allows for comparisons with reference data from all other occupations in the COPSOQ database. The COPSOQ is designed as a screening instrument to assess psychological stress and its consequences in the workplace. Furthermore, the questionnaire includes an additional COPSOQ module on sexual harassment in the workplace, as well as items on workplace health promotion measures. The following methods were used for data analysis: exploratory analysis, descriptive statistics, and inferential statistics (specifically, correlation and regression analyses, as well as comparisons of mean values). Comparisons of mean values were conducted between the sample of social workers in Germany and other occupational groups drawn from the COPSOQ database. The results provide insights into potential preventive measures. Beyond the scientific findings, implications for practice and policy were derived.

Results:

The results show that work privacy conflicts (β=.36; p<.001), hiding emotions (β=.14; p=.001), dissolution (β=.13; p=.002), emotional demands (β=.11; p=.009), and poor work environment/physical conditions (β=.09; p=.026) significantly predicted burnout symptoms. Conversely, attachment to workplace significantly predicted work engagement (β=.37; p<.001). The multiple regression analysis did not reveal any significant predictive effects of job resources on burnout symptoms. Furthermore, it can be concluded that, compared with other occupational groups, social workers in Germany report more challegning working conditions and more frequent strain outcomes, such as burnout symptoms. Social workers reported higher emotional demands (d=1.24; p<.001) and burnout symptoms (d=0.54; p<.001) than other occupations, yet also higher job resources, such as influence at work (d=0.56; p<.001) and possibilities for development (d=0.47; p<.001).

Social workers in Germany thus show an ambivalent profile: On the one hand, they report high resources; on the other, they face high demands, leading to burnout symptoms. Overall, strengthening job resources while reducing excessive job demands appears essential for promoting the health, well-being, and long-term sustainability of the social work workforce in Germany.

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