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Public sector social workers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories experience loss and trauma on a daily basis. Study objectives were to: (a) assess levels of three mental health outcomes and (b) examine workplace correlates among Palestinian social workers in the West Bank. Results revealed alarmingly high percentages of workers who met clinical thresholds for somatic symptoms (70.9%), distress (34.7%), and anxiety (19.3%). Multivariate regression models explained 25–32% of outcome variance. Job stress, exposure to violence, and job satisfaction were significant in two models, and physical health was significant in three models. Policy, practice, and future research implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work professionals experience job-related stressors often associated with compromised mental health. In low-resource, conflict settings, such as the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), structural and environmental obstacles pose additional challenges. This qualitative study identified stressors faced by 237 Palestinian social workers, current organizational strategies to reduce worker stress, and recommendations for new strategies. Content analysis identified 12 categories of stressors within five domains: role-related, interpersonal, organizational, societal, and miscellaneous. Current stress reduction efforts are perceived as ineffective, but numerous suggestions were offered for new initiatives. Implications for policy, practice, and research are discussed. Practice Points Palestinian public sector social workers face a litany of stressors at multiple levels, including role-related, interpersonal, organizational, and societal. In addition to the types of workplace stressors typically associated with social worker burnout and secondary traumatic stress, Palestinian social workers must also contend with stressors related to operating in a low-resource setting and under Israeli military occupation. While the Palestinian Ministry of Social Development is limited in its capacity to address many of the structural factors that contribute to worker stress, opportunities exist to promote worker well-being at an organizational level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the contribution of social–demographic characteristics, employee attitudes and environmental factors in explaining levels of organisational commitment amongst public sector social workers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected in the summer of 2016 from employees at twelve local directorates of the Ministry of Social Development (N  =   237) in the West Bank. Palestinian social workers reported extremely high levels of overall organisational commitment. Results of multiple regressions revealed predictors of this outcome, including job stress, job satisfaction and service orientation. As hypothesised, job satisfaction and service orientation were positively related to the dependent variable. Surprisingly, higher levels of job stress were related to higher levels of organisational commitment. Implications for organisational policies and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]