Factors Associated With Stress Among Social Workers in Public Social Service Institutions in the Southeastern Region of Vietnam

This study aims to identify several factors associated with stress among social workers working in public social service institutions in the Southeastern region of Vietnam. A quantitative research approach was employed, and data were collected from 436 social workers using standardized measurement scales, including stress (DASS-21), optimism–pessimism, job satisfaction, multidimensional social support, and turnover intention. The collected data were processed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25. The statistical techniques employed in this study included descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and linear regression analysis. The findings indicate that optimism–pessimism, job satisfaction, and perceived social support are negatively associated with stress, whereas turnover intention is positively associated with stress among social workers. Among these factors, perceived social support has the strongest predictive effect (β = -.259), followed by optimism–pessimism (β = -.242), turnover intention (β = .221), and job satisfaction, which has the lowest predictive effect (β = -.070) on stress levels among social workers. Collectively, these factors explain 42.7% of the variance in stress levels among social workers. Based on these findings, the study proposes practical and policy implications to reduce stress levels among social workers.