Burnout and Engagement Dimensions in the Reception System of Illegal Immigration in the Mediterranean Sea. A Qualitative Study on a Sample of Italian Practitioners

Marcello Nonnis, Mirian Agus, Monica Piera Pirrone, Stefania Cuccu, Maria Luisa Pedditzi and Claudio Giovanni Cortese
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Marcello Nonnis: Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Mirian Agus: Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Monica Piera Pirrone: Psicologi per i Popoli Sardegna, 09128 Cagliari, Italy
Stefania Cuccu: Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Maria Luisa Pedditzi: Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Claudio Giovanni Cortese: Department of Psychology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-16

Abstract: The present study describes the semantic nature of burnout and engagement in the operators involved in the management of illegal immigration. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on a sample of Italian practitioners ( n = 62) of the two levels of the reception system considered: (1) rescue and first aid and (2) reception and integration. Within the framework of the job demands–resources model (JD-R), the interviews deepened the analysis of the positive and negative dimensions of burnout and engagement: exhaustion versus energy, relational deterioration versus relational involvement, professional inefficacy versus professional efficacy and disillusion versus trust. The interviews were analysed using the T-Lab software, through a cluster analysis (bisecting K-means algorithm), which emphasised noteworthy themes. The results show that, in the vast majority of the dimensions considered (for both levels of reception), the same dimensions of engagement of the operators (energy, relational involvement, professional efficacy and trust) are able to lead them into a condition of burnout, with experiences, conversely, of exhaustion, relational deterioration, professional inefficacy and disillusion. These findings expand the knowledge on burnout and engagement in practitioners of illegal immigration, a context characterised by the value of help and welcome.

Keywords: illegal immigration; JD-R model; burnout; engagement; reception system; qualitative study; NGO; volunteering; Mediterranean Sea (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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