Skip to main content Skip to journal navigation menu Skip to site footer
contact@ukscip.com
Article

Burned Out before the Transition: Occupational Burnout among Social Workers with Early Childhood Educator Backgrounds—A Qualitative Study

Sora Pazer ORCID
    Received: 3 June 2026; Revised: 15 June 2026; Accepted: 16 July 2026; Published: 23 July 2026

    Abstract

    Social workers and early childhood educators in Germany are among the occupational groups most frequently reporting burnout symptoms. Yet, burnout in practitioners who have moved between both fields remains insufficiently examined. This study investigated the retrospectively reported causes and risk factors of burnout among social workers who had previously trained as early childhood educators, with attention to structural, relational-emotional, and biographical dimensions of vulnerability to burnout. A qualitative content analysis following the framework of Kuckartz and Rädiker was conducted on 16 semi-structured narrative interviews with social work practitioners in Germany (28–36 years, M = 32.1; 81.3% women). All participants held both an educator credential and a bachelor’s degree in social work and had worked as educators for at least six years before their academic qualification. Twelve main categories were identified and organized into three overarching dimensions: (1) structural-organizational stressors, most prominently institutional powerlessness, role ambiguity, and absent career pathways (each in all 16 interviews); (2) relational-emotional stressors, including emotional exhaustion through high-risk client contact (n = 14) and secondary traumatization (n = 7); and (3) individual-biographical risk factors, including a helper self-concept as vulnerability pattern (n = 8) and biographical resonance with clients (n = 7). Several participants met comparable burnout conditions after the transition to social work, suggesting that burnout here is substantially structurally determined and cannot be resolved by requalification alone. The research concludes that effective prevention requires systemic interventions targeting working conditions, role clarity, and professional identity formation.

    Keywords

    References

    1. 1. Maslach C.; Jackson, S.E. The measurement of experienced burnout. J. Organ. Behav. 1981, 2, 99–113. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030020205
    2. 2. DAK-Gesundheit. DAK-Gesundheitsreport 2023; Medhochzwei Verlag GmbH: Heidelberg, Germany, 2023. (in German)
    3. 3. DAK-Gesundheit. Psychreport 2024: Developments in Mental Illness in the Workplace; IGES Institut: Berlin, Germany, 2024. Available online: https://caas.content.dak.de/caas/v1/media/57370/data/0114eed547a91f626b09d8265310d1e5/dak-psychreport-ergebnis-praesentation.pdf (in German)
    4. 4. DAK-Gesundheit. Update Psychreport 2025: Developments in Mental Illness in the Workplace; IGES Institut: Berlin, Germany, 2025. Available online: https://caas.content.dak.de/caas/v1/media/91772/data/4e1fc7bc25d1abe1339535a2da6d9be4/dak-psychreport-ergebnis-praesentation.pdf (in German)
    5. 5. Acker, G.M. Self-care practices among social workers: Do they predict job satisfaction and turnover intention? Soc. Work Ment. Health 2018, 16, 713–727. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15332985.2018.1494082
    6. 6. Kim, H.; Stoner, M. Burnout and turnover intention among social workers: Effects of role stress, job autonomy and social support. Adm. Soc. Work 2008, 32, 5–25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03643100801922357
    7. 7. Savicki, V.; Cooley, E.J. The relationship of work environment and client contact to burnout in mental health professionals. J. Couns. Dev. 1987, 65, 249–252.
    8. 8. Chaves-Montero, A.; Blanco-Miguel, P.; Ríos-Vizcaíno, B. Analysis of the predictors and consequential factors of emotional exhaustion among social workers: A systematic review. Healthcare 2025, 13, 552. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13050552
    9. 9. Giménez-Bertomeu, V.M.; Caravaca-Sánchez, F.; de Alfonseti-Hartmann, N.; et al. Burnout among social workers in social services: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence. J. Soc. Serv. Res. 2024, 50, 664–683. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2024.2371847
    10. 10. Ravalier, J.; Jones, D.; Truell, R.; et al. Global social work working conditions and wellbeing. Int. Soc. Work 2022, 65, 1078–1094. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728221112731
    11. 11. Schaufeli, W.B.; Bakker, A.B. Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement: a multi-sample study. J. Organ. Behav. 2004, 25, 293–315. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/job.248
    12. 12. Fuseini, S. “Suffering in silence”: How social workers in child welfare practice experience and manage burnout. Child. Youth Serv. Rev. 2024, 166, 107939. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107939
    13. 13. Maddock, A. The relationships between stress, burnout, mental health and well-being in social workers. Br. J. Soc. Work 2024, 54, 668–686. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcad232
    14. 14. Cherniss, C. Beyond Burnout: Helping Teachers, Nurses, Therapists, and Lawyers Recover from Stress and Disillusionment; Routledge: London, UK, 1995.
    15. 15. Figley, C.R. Compassion Fatigue: Coping with Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder in Those Who Treat the Traumatized; Brunner/Mazel: New York, NY, USA, 1995.
    16. 16. Freudenberger, H.J. Staff burn-out. J. Soc. Issues 1974, 30, 159–165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1974.tb00706.x
    17. 17. Stanley, S.; Sebastine, A.J. Work-life balance, social support, and burnout: A quantitative study of social workers. J. Soc. Work 2023, 23, 1135–1155. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/14680173231197930
    18. 18. Maslach, C.; Jackson, S.E. Maslach Burnout Inventory Manual, 2nd ed.; Consulting Psychologists Press: Palo Alto, CA, USA, 1986.
    19. 19. Maslach, C.; Leiter, M.P. Burnout. In Stress: Concepts, Cognition, Emotion, and Behavior; Fink, G., Ed.; Academic Press: London, UK, 2016; pp. 351–357. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-800951-2.00044-3
    20. 20. Schaufeli, W.B.; Taris, T.W. A Critical Review of the Job Demands-Resources Model: Implications for Improving Work and Health. In Bridging Occupational, Organizational and Public Health; Bauer, G.F., Hämmig, O., Eds.; Springer: Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 2014; pp. 43–68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5640-3_4
    21. 21. Edú-Valsania, S.; Laguía, A.; Moriano, J.A. Burnout: A review of theory and measurement. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 1780. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031780
    22. 22. Bakker, A.B.; Demerouti, E. The Job Demands-Resources model: State of the art. J. Manag. Psychol. 2007, 22, 309–328. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
    23. 23. Bakker, A.B.; Demerouti, E. Job demands-resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward. J. Occup. Health Psychol. 2017, 22, 273–285. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000056
    24. 24. Bakker, A.B.; Demerouti, E.; Sanz-Vergel, A. Job demands–resources theory: Ten years later. Annu. Rev. Organ. Psychol. Organ. Behav. 2023, 10, 25–53. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-120920-053933
    25. 25. Maddock, A. Examining potential psychological protective and risk factors for stress and burnout in social workers. Clin. Soc. Work J. 2024, 53, 140–155. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-024-00924-3
    26. 26. Marković, S.; Kostić, O.; Terzić-Supic, Z.; et al. Exposure to stress and burnout syndrome in healthcare workers, expert workers, professional associates, and associates in social service institutions. Medicina 2024, 60, 499. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina60030499
    27. 27. Karasek, R.A. Job demands, job decision latitude, and mental strain: Implications for job redesign. Adm. Sci. Q. 1979, 24, 285–308. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2392498
    28. 28. Siegrist, J. Adverse health effects of high-effort/low-reward conditions. J. Occup. Health Psychol. 1996, 1, 27–41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.1.1.27
    29. 29. de Jonge, J.; Dormann, C.; Janssen, P.P.M.; et al. Testing reciprocal relationships between job characteristics and psychological well-being: A cross-lagged structural equation model. J. Occup. Organ. Psychol. 2001, 74, 29–46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1348/096317901167217
    30. 30. Taris, T.W.; Leisink, P.L.M.; Schaufeli, W.B. Applying Occupational Health Theories to Educator Stress: Contribution of the Job Demands-Resources Model. In Educator Stress: An Occupational Health Perspective; McIntyre, T.M., McIntyre, S.E., Francis, D.J., Eds.; Springer: Cham, Switzerland, 2017; pp. 237–259. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53053-6_11
    31. 31. Toledano, L.B.; Ruiz-Olivares, R. The link between burnout and social-occupational variables in Spanish social workers. Int. Soc. Work 2024, 67, 375–396. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728231167037
    32. 32. Viernickel, S.; Nentwig-Gesemann, I.; Nicolai, K.; et al. Key to Good Education, Upbringing and Care; Der Paritätische: Berlin, Germany, 2013. Available online: https://www.der-paritaetische.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Publikationen/doc/expertise_gute_bildung_2013_Kapitel_1-3_web.pdf (in German)
    33. 33. Autorengruppe Fachkräftebarometer. Early Childhood Education Skills Barometer 2023; German Youth Institute: Munich, Germany, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3278/9783763976287 (in German)
    34. 34. Autorengruppe Fachkräftebarometer. Early Childhood Education Skills Barometer 2025; Weiterbildungsinitiative Frühpädagogische Fachkräfte: Munich, Germany, 2025. Available online: https://www.pedocs.de/volltexte/2026/34825/pdf/Fachkraeftebarometer_Fruehe_Bildung_2025.pdf (in German)
    35. 35. Madeira Firmino, N.; Bauknecht, J. Development, extent and determinants of psychological and emotional exhaustion in educators. Zentralbl. Arbeitsmed. Arbeitsschutz Ergonomie 2022, 72, 195–205. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40664-022-00468-8 (in German)
    36. 36. Trauernicht, M.; Anders, Y.; Oppermann, E.; et al. Emotional exhaustion in German preschool teachers: The role of personal, structural, and social conditions at the workplace. J. Res. Child. Educ. 2025, 39, 78–97. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2024.2325466
    37. 37. Baines, D. Neoliberal Restructuring, Activism/Participation, and Social Unionism in the Nonprofit Social Services. Nonprofit Volunt. Sect. Q. 2010, 39, 10–28. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764008326681
    38. 38. Harlow, E. Why don’t women want to be social workers anymore? Eur. J. Soc. Work 2004, 7, 167–179. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1369145042000237436
    39. 39. Munro, E. The Munro Review of Child Protection: Final Report. A Child-Centred System; Department for Education: London, UK, 2011.
    40. 40. Ansari, A.; Pianta, R.C.; Whittaker, J.V.; et al. Preschool teachers’ emotional exhaustion in relation to classroom instruction and teacher–child interactions. Early Educ. Dev. 2022, 33, 107–120.
    41. 41. Kindler, H.; Lillig, S.; Blüml, H.; et al. (Eds.). Risk to a Child’s Welfare under Section 1666 of the BGB and General Social Services (ASD); Deutsches Jugendinstitut (DJI): München, Germany, 2006. Available online: https://www.dji.de/fileadmin/user_upload/bibs/asd_handbuch.pdf (in German)
    42. 42. Stein, R.; Garay, M.; Nguyen, A. It matters: Early childhood mental health, educator stress, and burnout. Early Child. Educ. J. 2024, 52, 333–344.
    43. 43. Lipsky, M. Street-Level Bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the Individual in Public Services; Russell Sage Foundation: New York, NY, USA, 1980.
    44. 44. Söderfeldt, M.; Söderfeldt, B.; Warg, L.E. Burnout in social work. Soc. Work 1995, 40, 638–646. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/40.5.638
    45. 45. Pines, A.M. Burnout: An existential perspective. In Professional Burnout: Recent Developments in Theory and Research; Schaufeli, W.B., Maslach, C., Marek, T., Eds.; Taylor & Francis: Washington, DC, USA, 1993; pp. 33–51.
    46. 46. Schaufeli, W.B.; Enzmann, D. The Burnout Companion to Study and Practice: A Critical Analysis; Taylor & Francis: London, UK, 1998.
    47. 47. Wells, M.; Jonsson, L.S.; Keefe, M.; et al. Supervision and organizational resilience: Considerations for staff retention in child welfare agencies. Int. J. Child Adolesc. Resil. 2024, 11.
    48. 48. Hochschild, A.R. The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling; University of California Press: Berkeley, CA, USA, 1983.
    49. 49. Brotheridge, C.M.; Grandey, A.A. Emotional labor and burnout: Comparing two perspectives of “people work.” J. Vocat. Behav. 2002, 60, 17–39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.2001.1815
    50. 50. Zapf, D.; Seifert, C.; Schmutte, B.; et al. Emotion work and job stressors and their effects on burnout. Psychol. Health 2001, 16, 527–545. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08870440108405525
    51. 51. Stamm, B.H. Secondary Traumatic Stress: Self-Care Issues for Clinicians, Researchers, and Educators; The Sidran Press: Lutherville, MD, USA, 1999.
    52. 52. Pearlman, L.A.; Saakvitne, K.W. Trauma and the Therapist: Countertransference and Vicarious Traumatization in Psychotherapy with Incest Survivors; Norton: New York, NY, USA, 1995.
    53. 53. Acquadro Maran, D.; Dolce, V.; Colombo, L. Editorial: Secondary traumatic stress: Risk factors, consequences, and coping strategies. Front. Psychol. 2023, 14, 1148186. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1148186
    54. 54. Groggel, A. “Horrible slime stories” when serving victims: The labor of role taking and secondary trauma exposure. Qual. Sociol. 2023, 46, 47–76.
    55. 55. Whitt-Woosley, A.; Sprang, G. Analysis of implementation drivers of secondary traumatic stress (STS)-informed organizational change and experiences of STS and burnout in child welfare. Child Abuse Negl. 2023, 141, 106194. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106194
    56. 56. van Dernoot Lipsky, L.; Burk, C. Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others; Berrett-Koehler: San Francisco, CA, USA, 2009.
    57. 57. Guay, S.; Lemyre, A.; Guédé, R.; et al. Prospective effects of peer support and gender roles on the mental health and work functioning of child protection workers exposed to potentially traumatic events. Child Abuse Negl. 2023, 137, 106033. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106033
    58. 58. Strolin-Goltzman, J.; Breslend, N.; Hemenway Deaver, A.; et al. Moving beyond self-care: Exploring the protective influence of interprofessional collaboration, leadership, and competency on secondary traumatic stress. Traumatology 2024, 30, 69–76. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/trm0000244
    59. 59. Grosch, J.W.; Olsen, D.C. When Helping Starts to Hurt: A New Look at Burnout among Psychotherapists; Norton: New York, NY, USA, 1994.
    60. 60. Maddock, A.; McGuigan, K.; McCusker, P. A randomised trial of mindfulness-based social work and self-care with social workers. Curr. Psychol. 2023, 42, 9170–9183. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04410-w
    61. 61. Flick, U. An Introduction to Qualitative Research, 6th ed.; SAGE Publications: London, UK, 2018.
    62. 62. Kvale, S. Doing Interviews; SAGE Publications: London, UK, 2007.
    63. 63. Kuckartz, U. Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse: Methoden, Praxis, Computerunterstützung, 4th ed.; Beltz Juventa: Weinheim, Germany, 2018. (in German)
    64. 64. Kuckartz, U.; Rädiker, S. Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse: Methoden, Praxis, Computerunterstützung, 5th ed.; Beltz Juventa: Weinheim, Germany, 2022. (in German)
    65. 65. Kuckartz, U.; Rädiker, S. Qualitative Content Analysis: Methods, Practice and Software, 2nd ed.; SAGE Publications: London, UK, 2023.
    66. 66. Kuckartz, U.; Rädiker, S. Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse: Methoden, Praxis, Umsetzung mit Software und künstlicher Intelligenz, 6th ed.; Beltz Juventa: Weinheim, Germany, 2024. (in German)
    67. 67. Fusch, P.I.; Ness, L.R. Are we there yet? Data saturation in qualitative research. Qual. Rep. 2015, 20, 1408–1416. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2015.2281
    68. 68. VERBI Software. MAXQDA 2022; VERBI Software: Berlin, Germany, 2021. Available online: https://www.maxqda.com
    69. 69. Landis, J.R.; Koch, G.G. The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data. Biometrics 1977, 33, 159–174. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2529310
    70. 70. Bakker, A.B.; Costa, P.L. Chronic job burnout and daily functioning: A theoretical analysis. Burn. Res. 2014, 1, 112–119. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.burn.2014.04.003
    71. 71. Podsakoff, P.M.; MacKenzie, S.B.; Lee, J.-Y.; et al. Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. J. Appl. Psychol. 2003, 88, 879–903. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
    72. 72. World Medical Association. WMA Declaration of Helsinki—Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. JAMA 2013, 310, 2191–2194. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2013.281053
    ×