臺灣社會工作人員的一般健康初探

The Study Explores the General Health of Social Workers in Taiwan

社會工作人員過勞致死事件發生，工作影響健康事件頻傳，在專業人力不斷流失的情況下，關心社會工作職場心理健康刻不容緩。然而臺灣相關文獻顯有不足，故以本研究展開全國首度大規模調查。2013年8月9日至8月31日期間以包含「一般健康量表（The General Health Questionnaire，簡稱GHQ）」與「基本資料」之線上問卷進行線上調查。964份有效問卷以SPSS統計軟體分析，結果呈現社會工作人員面臨各樣的身心健康問題，四個分量表以焦慮失眠最高；於機構的雇用身分為非正式員工、社會工作年資較淺、年齡較低及未婚者自覺較多身心健康問題，學歷較低者較多身體症狀、無社會工作師證照者較出現社會功能失調、男性則更有嚴重憂鬱傾向。爾後，研究者舉辦七場「2013促進臺灣社會工作職場心理健康發展全國分區座談會」與社會工作人員交流調查結果。245名報名者僅124人（50.6%）自身工作單位或聽過其他單位有促進職場健康相關措施，其中以心理健康團體、個別諮商及自辦學習課程較多。兩項調查顯示社會工作人員遭遇職場健康問題卻缺乏支持。依據研究結果，建議政府規劃促進職場健康的法令和預算，獎勵補助用人組織推行相關措施、定期評估成效；社會工作教育應加強學生對職業身心安全風險的認知；盼社會工作領域發展具實證基礎且符合效益之職場健康干預方案。

On February 24, 2011, one social work died during her night shift. Social workers, especially those who work in domestic violence and child protection, have complained for years about excessive workloads. The labor rights of social workers are now an important labour issue in Taiwan. Social workers are supposed to report threats to their safety and health from clients as well as the pressure to satisfy client needs. The negative effects of work on the general health of social workers nationwide remain poorly understood. This study explores the general health of social workers in Taiwan. This study attempts to characterize the general health of Taiwanese social workers. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was posted online. Data collection started on 9 August 2013, and ended on 31 August 2013. In total, 964 valid questionnaires were obtained. Data were analyzed using SPSS. The primary finding was that social workers faced a variety of health-related difficulties. Of these, anxiety and insomnia were the most common. Additionally, social workers who are young, have little work experience, a low education level, are without a license, unmarried, male, and were part-time employed had the most health problems. After the GHQ survey was conducted, Taiwan Association of Social Workers held 7 symposiums throughout Taiwan to share study results with social workers. The 254 workers who registered for the symposiums were questioned about whether their employers took measures to protect their health; only 50.6% of these workers reported that their employers had. Two of the most common measures were to enhance psychological health by group work and providing individual services. The third measure was to hold courses that enhance the workers’ professional competency, which was followed by help from supervisors and colleagues. In total, 12 types of measures were taken by employers. The two surveys and suggestions from the seven symposiums showed that Taiwanese social workers had many occupational health issues and lacked support. Consequently, this study proposed a Directive on the Health and Safety at Work for social workers in Taiwan. The government should implement policies and budgets that encourage employers to implement work-related measures. We recommend that employers promote the occupational health of individuals through various means and evaluate outcomes periodically. Moreover, educators have the responsibility to design courses that help students understand the health risks they will face and increase their competency in dealing with issues. More evidence-based research on effective intervention is needed. As the largest professional association for social workers in Taiwan, the TASW will continue advocating for social worker’s labor rights and their health at work.