The Ethics of Care in Practice: Occupational Stress, Professional Values, and Resilience Among Direct Social Service Practitioners in Zamboanga City

Abstract

This study examines occupational stress and resilience among direct social service practitioners in selected social welfare agencies in Zamboanga City through the lens of the ethics of care and professional values. Employing a descriptive mixed-methods design among 30 practitioners from the Crisis Intervention Unit, Social Development Center, Women Crisis Center, and Home for Women, the research investigated socio-demographic profile, perceived stress levels, biological, psychological and social manifestations and sources of stress, perceived effects on job performance and interpersonal relations, and stress-management strategies. Data were gathered through an adapted Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and semi-structured interviews, analyzed via descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results indicate 73% reported moderate perceived stress, with biological manifestations ranking highest, followed by psychological and social dimensions. While 70% reported physical drain and 57% experienced stress sometimes, 87% remained satisfied with their jobs, anchored in service values. Major stressors included difficult client behaviors, role multiplicity, paperwork and emergencies, resource constraints, night shifts, threats from perpetrators, and unsupportive supervision. Social support emerged as the most frequently used and most effective coping strategy. Interpreted through the ethics of care, findings suggest stress reflects an ethical encounter between internalized professional values and structural conditions of care work, with implications for supportive supervision and institutional well-being programs.