Hope & Resilience in Child Welfare

This research article investigates the impact of hope and resilience on burnout among child welfare professionals. A study of over 1,200 Oklahoma child welfare workers used structural equation modeling to analyze the relationships between hope, resilience, and burnout. The findings reveal that both hope and resilience act as protective factors against burnout, but hope is a significantly stronger predictor of lower burnout than resilience. The study's implications suggest that fostering hope within child welfare practice could be a crucial intervention to reduce burnout and improve workforce retention. The researchers also discuss the distinctions between hope and other related constructs like resilience, optimism, self-efficacy, and grit.