Emotional Exhaustion in Children and Youth Caregivers’ In Residential Care

Children and youth caregivers in Residential Care are particularly vulnerable to emotional exhaustion, which can impair their responsive care. However, investigation into the processes that contribute to explaining this phenomenon in these professionals is scarce. The present study analyzed the contribution of sociodemographic and professional dimensions (e.g. age, sex, years of education, emotional regulation), contextual (youth-caregiver ratio), and emotional regulation variables in understanding emotional exhaustion. The sample included 212 caregivers from 21 RC facilities in Portugal. Self-report measures included a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and the Affect Regulation Checklist (ARC). Hierarchical Multiple Regression showed that being younger, female, having higher education, working longer in an RC facility, having a higher youth-caregiver ratio for those within the educative team, higher dysregulation, and lower adaptative reflection were significant predictors of exhaustion. The results are critically examined in light of their significant implications for the training and supervision of residential care professionals.