Abstract
This qualitative study examined several ecological aspects of medical social work practice that affect social workers' emotional well-being. Forty-seven medical social workers from seven hospitals participated in small group interviews in which practice experiences were explored. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze the data, with emotional dissonance emerging as a central theme. Community, family, and individual factors contributing to emotional dissonance are presented, and the effect of social support is examined. Implications for social work practice are discussed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 63-79 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Social Work in Health Care |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2003 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Keith R. Nelson is Research Assistant, College of Social Work, San José State University (E-mail: KNCW@aol.com). Joseph R. Merighi is Assistant Professor, College of Social Work, San José State University (E-mail: jmerighi@email.sjsu.edu). Address correspondence to: Joseph R. Merighi, College of Social Work, One Washington Square, San José State University, San José, CA 95192-0124. This research was funded in part by a California State University Research Grant and the Sybil Weir/John Galm Endowment Award.
Keywords
- Ecology
- Emotional dissonance
- Medical social work
- Social work practice