The relationship between attribution of blame and burnout for HIV/AIDS case managers

This research was conducted to examine the relationship between HIV/AIDS worker perceptions of blame (stable victim, unstable victim and societal) and the three components of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment). One hundred fifty-six HIV case managers working in Brooklyn, New York participated in the study. Nine hypotheses were tested utilizing the Victim Blame Scale (Maslach & Jackson, 1986) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Mulford & Lee, 1996).

The results indicated a relationship between stable blame and depersonalization, and an inverse relationship with personal accomplishment. The majority of the sample did attribute accountability for contracting HIV to unstable victim traits and did not experience burnout. Additional findings revealed that those case managers with lower income and less education attributed more blame toward society and less to the client. Case managers in the higher education and income range experienced more emotional exhaustion and depersonalization.

This study contributed to attribution research in the discovery that blame is a contributing factor to burnout. The introduction of the blame—burnout trajectory allows for this concept to be explored among other disciplines. This significant finding lends support to conceptual considerations and ideas for enhancing worker-client and work place effectiveness.