Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between personality factors, work satisfaction
and burnout in the profession of social care workers in Ireland. The study was a crosssectional
design using an online survey completed by 85 Social Care Workers. Questions
were asked which measured personality factors, work satisfaction and burnout levels.
Correlation tests showed that total scores for work satisfaction was related to emotional
exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment. Neuroticism related to
emotional exhaustion; agreeableness and conscientiousness to depersonalisation; and
extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness to personal accomplishment. In regression
analysis, specific work domains and personality factors accounted for 62.9% of the variance
in emotional exhaustion; 32.1% variance in depersonalisation; and 31.4% variance in
personal accomplishment. Therefore, a combination of work-factors and personality-factors
are predictive antecedents to burnout. Author keywords: burnout, social care worker, personality, worklife, work life, areas of work
