Workload and Stress Among Social Workers Analysed by Perceived StressScale

Background/Aim: The empirical study conducted in 2025, aimed to assess perceived stress among a sample of 220 social workers employed in longterm care settings for seniors, individuals with disabilities, and patients with Alzheimer's disease. Methods: Using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), we evaluated how social workers perceive stress in relation to their job demands, emotional exhaustion, and the challenges they face in caregiving roles. The study explores how factors such as workload and emotional strain contribute to overall stress levels. Using Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MCFA), we analysed key stress factors, including emotional exhaustion among social workers. Results: Results showed that exhaustion (p=0.011) and workload (p=0.016) were among the strongest indicators of stress, regardless of age. The younger social workers faced higher stress levels due to job satisfaction and adaptation (p=0.034), while older workers experienced stress due to workload accumulation (p=0.021) and burnout risks (p=0.010). The study confirmed that perceived stress is significantly linked to subjective stress indicators such as feeling upset (0.74), mindlessness (0.69), passivity (0.78), and exhaustion (0.81). Among these, overall stress had the highest factor loading (0.83), reinforcing its strong association with subjective stress perceptions. Conclusion: One of thefindings showed that coping abilities with job tasks (p=0.028) is important to moderate stress. Social workers who reported better coping strategies experienced lower levels of stress. These findings underscore the importance of addressing stress in social work practice, highlighting the need for support systems, coping strategies, and mental health resources to mitigate the impact of workload on caregivers.