ATT STÅ KVAR I DET SVÅRA : En kvalitativ studie om hur socionomer bevarar meningsfullhet i deras arbete

Social work involves making difficult decisions under time pressure, interacting closely with human vulnerability, and managing large administrative demands. This study explores how social workers maintain meaningfulness despite stress and high workload and how organizational conditions may support or hinder this process. The study is based on a qualitative method and semi structured interviews with five social workers from three mid-sized Swedish municipalities. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis and interpreted through coping theory, resilience, and systems theory. The findings show that meaningfulness is primarily found through relationships with clients and a process-oriented understanding of social work where small steps are enough for work to feel significant. Stress is described as both emotional and organizational with high caseloads, understaffing and documentation requirements reducing presence and professional care. Social workers apply both problem focused and emotion focused coping strategies, yet the study highlights clear limits to individual coping when organizational support is lacking. The study concludes that meaningfulness is shaped through the interaction between individual resources, relational contexts and organizational conditions and that sustainable practice requires structures that enable manageable workloads, recovery, and support. Keywords: meaningfulness, social work, stress, workload, organizational conditions, resilience