Arbeitsbedingungen, Gesundheit und Erschöpfung bei Fachkräften der Heilerziehungspflege und Heilpädagogik – Ergebnisse der repräsentativen BIBB/BAuA-Erwerbstätigenbefragung 2018

According to international studies, employees in professional disability care facilities have a high job-specific risk of developing burnout. According to the job demands-resources model of burnout and work engagement, high work demands lead to health complaints and exhaustion among employees. In Germany, there is a lack of research about the specific working conditions of disability support workers and their health.

The aim of the study was therefore to analyze the working conditions of disability support workers in Germany and to explore health complaints and symptoms of exhaustion in this occupational group.

The representative Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) and the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) employment survey 2018 was used as the basis for this study. In the method descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were used.

Of the 20,012 respondents 130 were working as disability support workers. The physical and emotional demands were greater for disability support workers than other occupations. The most frequently cited health complaint among the disability support workers is general tiredness, fatigue or exhaustion with 62.1%. In addition, 31.9% of the disability support workers complained about frequent physical and emotional exhaustion.

The results show occupational health risks and potentials for behavioral and situational prevention for disability support workers. Burnout prevention programs, an expansion of workplace health promotion and the implementation of risk assessments at work are recommended.