A Qualitative Study of MSW Student Self-Care and Wellness: Implications for Social Work Education

This qualitative study explored MSW students' perceived facilitators and barriers to self-care. Research suggests MSW students experience high stress from heavy course workloads, internship, and exposure to human suffering. MSW students report difficulty engaging in self-care, even when provide...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of social work education 2023-10, Vol.59 (4), p.1108-1124
Main Authors: Nicotera, Nicole, Han, Tyler M, Sedivy, Jen, Andelora, Joshua
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Affordances
Barriers
Caring
Graduate Students
Minority groups
Professional training
Self care
Social work education
Stress Variables
Well Being
Wellness
Workloads
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Summary:This qualitative study explored MSW students' perceived facilitators and barriers to self-care. Research suggests MSW students experience high stress from heavy course workloads, internship, and exposure to human suffering. MSW students report difficulty engaging in self-care, even when provided by their programs. Hence, it is important to gain insights into what promotes and prohibits MSW student self-care. MSW students participated in four semi-structured focus groups (N = 27, x- age = 27.8 years, 85.2% female, 55.6% white, 44.4% students of color). Analysis followed a combination of constant comparison and template analysis. Five themes underscore barriers and facilitators to self-care. Findings suggest importance of fostering a culture of self-care in MSW programs and assisting students to alter cognitive roadblocks to self-care.
ISSN:1043-7797
2163-5811
DOI:10.1080/10437797.2022.2069624