Causes of Stress among Social Workers in Selected Public Social Service Institutions in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Authors

Vu Thi Lua

Faculty of Social Work, Campus 2, University of Labour and Social Affairs, Vietnam (Vietnam)

Article Information

DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS.2026.1017PSY0012

Subject Category: Social science

Volume/Issue: 10/17 | Page No: 185-199

Publication Timeline

Submitted: 2026-03-02

Accepted: 2026-03-07

Published: 2026-03-24

Abstract

Stress is a common issue experienced by most individuals in everyday life. Due to the nature of their profession, social workers are required to confront numerous difficulties and challenges in the workplace. In addition, they must manage family responsibilities and interpersonal relationships. As a consequence, many social workers experience stress. This study aims to identify the causes of stress among social workers in selected public social service institutions in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The primary research method employed was a questionnaire-based survey. Data were randomly collected from 267 social workers. The collected data were processed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25. The statistical procedures applied included frequency analysis, mean statistics, and correlation analysis. The findings indicate that job characteristics constitute the most significant source of stress among social workers. This is followed by factors related to personal resilience, time-related factors, situational factors, cognitive appraisal factors, and finally relational factors. All groups of stress-related factors demonstrate strong positive correlations with one another.

Keywords

stress; causes of stress; social workers; public social service institutions

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