Journal of Nursing, Social Studies, Public Health and Rehabilitation X:X | DOI: 10.32725/jnss.2026.004

Harassment in social work: manifestations, impacts, and coping strategies among social workers in the South Bohemian Region

Natálie Mádlová, Alena Hricová ORCID...*
University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Institute of Applied Special-paedagogical Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

The theoretical background is based on findings that harassment in social work is a frequent and serious phenomenon, manifesting as verbal attacks, humiliation, threats, and manipulation. The literature highlights the main risk factors as working with socially excluded groups and a lack of institutional support. Coping strategies of workers, supervision, and peer support play a significant role. The aim of this study is to describe the manifestations of socially excluded clients towards social workers and the reactions of social workers to such behaviour, as well as to propose strategies for the prevention and management of this issue in social services in the South Bohemian Region. Data were collected through an anonymous online questionnaire distributed to social workers across various types of social services in this region. The research sample consisted of 107 respondents, and the data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The research showed that 77% of workers had encountered some form of harassment. The most frequent manifestations were verbal attacks, humiliation, and threats; physical assaults and sexual harassment were less common. The most at-risk client groups included homeless people and individuals with addiction. The impacts of harassment mainly involved psychological fatigue, decreased motivation to work, and increased risk of burnout syndrome. Social workers most often cited peer support, supervision, and the use of institutional support as key coping strategies.

Keywords: Coping strategies; Harassment; Social exclusion; Social work; Supervision; Working conditions
Conflicts of interest:

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Received: February 9, 2026; Revised: March 16, 2026; Accepted: April 2, 2026; Prepublished online: April 9, 2026 

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