Coping strategies of community health workers providing home-based care for HIV/AIDS : a comparison of high & low burnout groups

Bibliography: leaves 76-82.This study aims to explore the coping resources that community health workers (CHWs), providing home-based care to people with AIDS (PWAs), draw on in response to stressful work experiences. Furthermore, the study explores whether different coping mechanisms are utilised by health care workers at different points on the burnout continuum. CHWs were selected from a community outreach organisation in Cape Town. A Xhosa version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was administered to forty-five CHWs. From this group, twelve participants were selected for in-depth interviews, six from both the higher and lower ends of the burnout continuum. Thematic analysis of the interviews indicate that both the High and Low Burnout groups contront similar stressors as a result of going beyond the call of duty, community and familial stigmatisation and working in adverse conditions. In addition, CHWs from both groups have difficulty articulating their emotional needs. The groups differed on the number of HIV/AIDS caseloads, with the High Burnout group treating more PWAs than the Low EE group. Carers also differe in their coping styles: High Burnout participants rely more on emotion-focussed coping, denial and escape avoidance, and appear to have a limited repertoire of coping skills, while Low Burnout participants are more predisposed to using problem-focussed coping with the flexible inclusion of emotion-focused approaches. The study also highlights how the context of care affects coping. Limitations of the present study are discussed, and recommendations made for future research and practice in the field