Social Workers' Well-Being as a Foundation for Compassionate Futures in Vulnerability Contexts in Portugal.

Autor/inn/en	Teles, Helena; Ribeiro, Sónia; Neto, Francisco
Titel	Social Workers' Well-Being as a Foundation for Compassionate Futures in Vulnerability Contexts in Portugal.
Quelle	In: Social Inclusion, (2026) 14, 19 S. PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2183-2803
DOI	10.17645/si.11916
Schlagwörter	Psychosozialer Faktor; Wohlbefinden; Psychische Gesundheit; Sozialarbeiter; Sozialarbeit; Portugal
Abstract	This study examines the psychological well-being of social workers in Portugal and the emotional, ethical, and institutional dynamics that shape their professional practice within contexts of vulnerability. Drawing on an integrated mixed-methods design, the research combines a nationwide survey (n = 1389) using the World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5) with thirteen in-depth semi-structured interviews analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. Quantitative findings show that most professionals report adequate well-being, but 26.3% present low scores, mainly associated with fatigue, reduced energy, and limited rest. Qualitative results deepen this picture, highlighting six interrelated themes: mutual vulnerability in caring relationships, emotional labour and psychosocial strain, institutional barriers to ethical practice, tensions between ideal and real conditions of care, strategies for sustaining professional resilience, professional recognition and collective mobilisation. Participants describe profound emotional resonance with service users, experiences of burnout, and a chronic sense of powerlessness stemming from structural inequalities, resource scarcity, fragmented services, and low professional recognition. Care emerges as relational and ethically demanding, yet structurally constrained. The study argues that workers' well-being is inseparable from organisational cultures and socio-political conditions. Individual coping strategies mitigate strain but cannot compensate for systemic shortcomings. Fostering compassionate institutional ecosystems is therefore an ethical and political imperative.
Erfasst von	GESIS - Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften, Mannheim
Update	2026/4