Stress and social work lecturers: Dreaming spires, ivory towers or besieged in concrete blocks?

Abstract

The focus of this article is upon the impact of environmental stress and demands on social work lecturers. Stress is experienced as an individual phenomenon by social work lecturers, but is considered within a structural and an institutional context. In particular, it is examined against the background of recent developments in higher education generally, such as the Higher Education Funding Council quality assessment visits and the research assessment exercise. In recent years, there have been significant alterations to the shape of social work education with the establishment of the DipSW, its modification and review, and the development of Post Qualifying Consortia. Classic features of stress have been imposed on social work lecturers particularly by their institutions and other organisations, leading to a lack of control, an imbalance of demands over resources, role overload and role conflict. These stressors impact negatively upon interpersonal relationships with colleagues and students. Some suggestions are made for improving the structural and especially the organisational coping resources available to social work lecturers in order to assist them to develop more effective responses to stress.

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