Exploring the Relationship between Ethical Conflicts and Psychological Distress among Social Workers: The Role of Social and Economic Exchange and Burnout

This study examines the association between ethical conflicts and psychological distress among social workers and the role of economic and social exchange in mediating this relationship. It also explores the moderating effect of burnout on the association between ethical conflicts and both social and economic exchange. The sample consisted of 568 Israeli social workers, where the majority were women. A moderated mediation model was employed to analyse the research data. The results indicate that the frequency of ethical conflicts was positively correlated with economic exchange, which in turn was positively correlated with psychological distress. Also, the frequency of ethical conflicts was negatively correlated with social exchange, which was negatively correlated with psychological distress. The effect of the frequency of ethical conflicts on both economic and social exchange was more pronounced at higher levels of burnout. The current study provides valuable insights into the complex processes social workers undergo when faced with ethical conflicts and underscores the importance of addressing burnout and exchanges in the social worker–organisation relationship. The study recommends that policymakers and welfare organisation managers allocate resources towards quality supervision and training programmes, promote teamwork and self-care activities for social workers and create an ethical work environment.