Spirituality as a Source for the Prevention of Burnout Syndrome

The article deals with spirituality as one of the factors contributing to the prevention of burnout syndrome. It uses the concept of man as a four-dimensional being including a spiritual dimension as well. Part of the article is also a research probe among social workers and workers in social services. It discovers their views on spirituality (their possible experience with it, and its infl uence on burnout syndrome).


Introduction
Th e article introduces spirituality as one of the factors that can help prevent the occurrence of burnout syndrome, specifi cally with social workers and workers in social services. Th e basic thesis of the article (namely that spirituality plays a role in the prevention of burnout syndrome) is based on the concept of man as a physical, psychological, social, and spiritual being, and also on the recognition of religiosity as an anthropological constant given to each person. Th e article defi nes burnout as a negative and undesirable phenomenon that threatens a large number of workers in the helping professions both professionally and personally. It uses knowledge of Czech sociology of religion and approaches a somewhat ambiguous and unclear domain of spirituality, religiosity and religion. Part of the article is the interpretation of the results of a quantitative research probe which examined (using questionnaires) the views of social workers and social service workers on spirituality, their experience with burnout syndrome, and the involvement of spirituality in the prevention and resolution of negative manifestations associated with burnout syndrome.

An Introduction to the Discourse of Spirituality in Social Work
In recent years, the need for the refl ection of spirituality and its involvement in social work has also (gradually) been taken into account in the Czech environment. Th e spiritual perspective of social work in Europe, the Czech Republic and Slovakia has a long tradition of social services and social facilities. Th ose services and facilities and their function have been (since the beginning to the present day) infl uenced by Biblical-Christian spiritual inspiration. 2 In some areas (for example, while working with terminally ill patients in hospice care or the elderly) it is common practice to meet the spiritual dimension and the spiritual needs of the person (the client) in practice. In other areas, however, this issue is not addressed, or only in individual cases. It is neither the aim nor the ambition of this article to further analyse the diff erent approaches of the individual fi elds of social work towards spirituality. It is, however, possible that the involvement or non-involvement of spirituality in the helping process areas (so far) is related to a specifi c target group of social work. Th ere are certain characteristics which make spirituality more relevant (for example, age, a crisis situation off ering an opportunity for refl ecting upon life values and meaning, etc.).

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Hamplová and Řeháková in their sociological study (Czech religiosity at the beginning of the 3rd millennium) state that the elderly more oft en express and admit their religious beliefs. 3 Social work has been evolving in the Euro-American area as an independent fi eld for a relatively short time -its beginnings can be dated to the end of the 19th century. However, its roots extend far into history. Th eir integral parts were ideas based on contemporary philosophical trends, the Judaeo-Christian worldview, and theoretical models emerging from other disciplines (and later from their own theoretical backgrounds). In 2004, a new international code of ethics was adopted, defi ning social work as a profession promoting social change, addressing human rights issues, and empowering and liberating people in order to improve wellbeing. It interferes with areas where there is interaction between people and their environment, and it uses human behavioural and social systems theory. Th e basis of social work is the principles of human rights and social justice. 4 One of the main tasks of social work is (according to Global Qualifi cation Standards) education in social work (issued by IFSW 5 and IASSW 6 ), knowledge of human behaviour, and the development of the social environment (with special regard to the person-in-environment situation), life cycle and interaction among biological, and psychological, socio-structural, economic, political, cultural and spiritual factors (in terms of human development and behaviour). It includes also a necessary knowledge of how traditions, culture, belief, and religion infl uence human functioning and development at all levels, including those that can determine the sources and obstacles of growth and development. 7 In these calls for social work, the spiritual dimension (which plays an important role in the lives of people who become clients of social work) is also taken into account. It is important that both the social worker and every helping professional perceive and take into consideration man as a person with all the elements of the personality, and support him or her. Th at means not only in the direction towards the person-client, but also in the direction towards him or herself. In the historical development of social work, we can fi nd diff erent stages of involvement or displacement of the concept of spirituality or religion from this sphere. Its position in social work is still somewhat problematic. In my opinion, it is necessary to be aware of the diff erence between the situation and contexts in the Czech environment and those prevailing abroad. At the same time, it is to be constantly aware of the essence of social work as defi ned according to the International Code of Ethics, which is common to all countries and has a transnational character. Social work deals with man and his or her social environment. It is necessary then to take into account the situation, development, and specifi cs of the society in which the social work is performed (in connection and interconnection with the social policy of a specifi c state). In order to outline the discourse of spirituality in social work, I will briefl y mention some Czech and foreign authors who deal with the topic, the topics presented in the professional journal Sociální práce / Sociálna práca (Social Work), and also the proceedings of the international scientifi c conference named Hradecké dny sociální práce (Days of Social Work in Hradec

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about the involvement of spirituality in social work, spiritually sensitive social work and the social worker, and the spiritual needs of clients and the assessment of these needs. Th e discourse of spirituality is heavily infl uenced by the cultural, historical and religious context of Czech society. Th is has included Christian-oriented spirituality, Christian social work, Christian-motivated social work, values that are (to a certain extent) shared by Christianity and social work (for example, dignity of human life, respect for each individual, a non-judgmental attitude), the usage but also the risks that faith can bring to social workers, the mutual inspiration of theology and social work. One issue of the Czech magazine dealing with social issues 9 was devoted to the spiritual dimension of social work, especially in terms of Christian spirituality. Th is issue presented a view which considers the spiritual support of man as a necessary part of material, physical, psychological and social help. It was based on practical knowledge about the spiritual dimension which is believed to raise diff erent responses not only on the individual level. Th e issue presented a number of interesting articles that refer to the discourse of spirituality in social work -they mentioned some specifi c organisations that are more or less explicitly linked to the concept of (Christian) spirituality in the Czech Republic (Caritas, Diaconia, Maltese Aid etc.) Another topic of this issue was also Christian-oriented social work, 10 which is based on the foundations connected to religion (Catholic Christianity). It also mentions the personal, individual beliefs of the social worker and their infl uence on the helping process in the Church organisation. In this context, it has turned out that faith can be an advanced competence of the social worker, but (at the same time) it is defi nitely not possible to assume that there are only faithful workers in the Church organisation. 11 Another topic of the discourse is the Christian social work dealt with by Doležel. He is interested in the biblical roots of social work, 12 biblical inspiration for social work, 13 and in parishes as the places of the Church's social work. 14 He focuses on the spheres of spirituality, or religiosity, which are (also historically) typical of the Czech environment. In recent years, emphasis has also been placed on spirituality as such, without any reference to a particular religion. Jan Kaňák is interested in this type of spirituality in social work. He has identifi ed a certain process of returning spirituality to social work 15 and deals with the relationship of spirituality and professionalism in social work. 16 Th e need to integrate spirituality into the curriculum of social work was dealt with by Kubicová. 17 According to her, a skilled social worker is expected to have wide professional readiness in areas that may aff ect the spiritual plane, and the meaning of life and human existence as well. CSWE 18 (the US institution engaged in the fi eld of social work education) has issued 7 2017 a recommendation saying that social work should be enriched with religious and spiritual themes. Kubicová also states that comparisons of empirical studies about religiosity and spirituality are very problematic, if not impossible. In the Hradecké dny sociální práce proceedings, Kaňák published the results of a pilot study, in which he identifi ed the attitudes of social work students towards spirituality and religion. 19 He emphasised the need for a spiritually sensible education of students. His pilot research suggested that it would be more appropriate to open spiritual themes rather than directly religious ones (especially in situations where the meaning of life and transcendency have played a role in the client's situation). Social work should not lose sight of its multidisciplinary nature in the process of engaging in spirituality, as it is necessary to use the knowledge of other disciplines such as sociology (religion), psychology, ethics, pedagogy, religious studies, theology and others.

Spirituality
To defi ne the concept of spirituality is, as with many other theoretical concepts, very diffi cult. Upon closer examination, we fi nd overlaps and blurred boundaries at least when talking about the notions of religion and religiosity. In addition, it is also necessary to take into account the lenses of the discipline through which spirituality is perceived -theology, psychology, philosophy, sociology of religion, and so forth. For the purpose of this article, I will clarify how I understand the key concepts of spirituality, religiosity and religion. With regard to the complexity of these terms, I am aware of the ambiguity and heterogeneity of understanding across the diff erent discourses. It is not possible to capture all the circumstances relating to these concepts. Religion can be defi ned by categories such as relation to the sacraments, participation in rituals, the existence of social groups, a set of ideas about the world, the existence of social norms, commands for action, and others. 20 In accordance with sociology of religion, the notion of religion can be understood as a system of teachings, beliefs, practices that are connected with the sacred, and as such they have a certain social dimension. 21 Contemporary Western society is heavily infl uenced by its religious and cultural roots. 22 Religion cannot be separated from the ability to believe in transcendence, which is the Czech equivalent of religiosity. It is a personally experienced and socially expressed relationship to a reality that is considered to be transcendent. 23 For contemporary society, especially in Western countries, there is a typical religious pluralism that generates diff erent types of church (institutionalised) religiosity, as well as deinstitutionalised (alternative) religiosity, which has interfaces and a certain overlap with spirituality. 24 Traditional religiosity is associated with religious institutions, in the European space, in the Czech context, and specifi cally with the Christian Church. Th is type of religiosity is characterised by organisation, connection to Church institutions, membership in the Church, participation in Church activities, etc. According to the research conducted by Czech and foreign sociologists of religion ( EVS Values) Czech society is not very interested in an organised, traditional religion based on the Christian tradition. Despite this fact, a strong belief in various phenomena (that are considered to be an alternative religiosity) still persists. However, the low degree of Church religiosity does not mean that there is not a great interest in supernatural and spirituality in Czech society. On the contrary, the relatively strong belief in supernatural and the fact that this supernatural power can infl uence the facts in human lives penetrates into diff erent spheres of life, where religious and quasi-religious concepts operate. 25 Th e spiritual dimension (defi ned and experienced by any person) can play an important role in the life of an individual. Given the nature of social work as such, there is a part of a professional approach which usually brings a certain degree of personal engagement of the worker (the personality of the worker and personal assumptions I consider an important part of social work). It can be assumed that the spiritual dimension, i.e., spirituality (which is a part of the personality of the social worker) will be (in a certain sense) a part of social work performance. And as such, it can aff ect (among other factors) burnout syndrome which potentially threatens any helping professional. Spirituality may not always have a positive eff ect when preventing burnout syndrome (or on the psychological state of a helping worker). Spirituality can take radical, unhealthy forms, and aff ect man and the process of assisting in a negative way. Burnout syndrome can also go hand in hand with the spiritual crisis of man. For the purposes of this article, I shall adhere to the most general defi nition. It defi nes spirituality as a spiritual life, which is perceived strongly individually. 26 Spirituality (in this article) is therefore understood as the spiritual dimension or spiritual aspect of a person characterised by a personal relationship with the transcendent, or a life sense that does not have to be bound to a particular religion (this could be divided into a religious and non-religious, and secular or alternative spirituality). As one of the dimensions of man, it produces spiritual needs that are to be satisfi ed to a certain extent and which (if not fulfi lled) will start producing signs.

Th e term
Students in the helping professions meet with burnout syndrome theory at high school. Like every concept, burnout syndrome evolves over time and has shift ed and expanded considerably from its initial defi nition, given by Herbert Freudenberger. It originally appeared in psychology and psychotherapy in the 1970s as a well-known phenomenon of the total exhaustion of the body (containing physical, psychological and emotional aspects). 27 Th is syndrome aff ects the entire psychosomatic area in various places, with physical, mental and behavioural symptoms. Boredom, fatigue, resignation, increased irritability, critical attitudes, and other changes take place. 28 Burnout syndrome and its eventual outbreak and course are controlled and infl uenced partly by the social environment of man, and partly by his or her personality. Both external and internal factors are involved in the interaction. A worker in the helping professions is a professional whose mission (and in many professions, the workers themselves actually consider their job to be a personal mission) is to help a person 25  (a client, a patient) in his or her diffi cult life situation in order to manage, improve or, ideally, solve it. Th e focus of the helping professions is on a person, an individual human being who has his or her specifi c needs. Th e fulfi lment of those needs (to a larger or smaller extent) is ensured or helped by the worker. Partially separate or even completely isolated, one's own personality and personal involvement in this area is unthinkable. Motivations, values or personal beliefs and experiences oft en lead people to choose one of those helping professions for their own. Th erefore, there is a high risk of developing burnout syndrome, especially if one is engaged in the job with his or her personality without any limits set, and he or she does not have any eff ective tools to prevent this threat. When the symptoms of burnout syndrome are manifested, the individual is aff ected in a physical, mental, social or spiritual dimension, and possibly even in several (or all) simultaneously. Th is is then refl ected in both personal and professional life.

Th e causes of burnout syndrome
Kopřiva states that burnout syndrome can be caused in three diff erent ways. Th e fi rst is the loss of ideals, the second is workoholism, and the third is a 'terror of opportunity' , which is manifested by an inability to set lower limits when accomplishing the job requirements. 29 Th ere are several causes leading to burnout syndrome. Th ese can be characterised by location, as internal (such as personality, attitudes and habits of an individual), or as external (which includes, in particular, relationships with others, working conditions and the general set-up of society). Rush introduces ten of the most common causes that may (in varying degrees and combination) contribute to the formation of a psychological, emotional and physical condition known as burnout syndrome. It is a feeling of urge rather than a feeling of professional fulfi lment, an inability to slow down, an eff ort to do everything on one's own, an exaggerated attention to strange problems, focusing on details, unrealistic expectations, too much of a routine, an incorrect view of God's priorities in our lives, a bad physical state, and constant rejection from others. 30 We could fi nd many other possible causes leading to the development of burnout syndrome, some of which would be similar and some perhaps diff erent. Whatever the causes, however, they inevitably lead to feelings of exhaustion, apathy, and a changed attitude towards work that has previously fulfi lled the person. In worse cases, it also can lead to severe health complications with a risk of permanently damaged health. All of these fi ndings should lead to an eff ort to eliminate the risks and to strengthen competencies in the prevention of burnout syndrome.

Th e Prevention of Burnout Syndrome and Spirituality
Prevention has a very signifi cant impact on burnout syndrome. Prevention is a basic tool for avoiding problems and related context. Social workers oft en fi nd themselves in situations where they do not pay attention to themselves, their body and to the signals it gives them because they are focused on helping and supporting clients. Nevertheless, helping professionals should not lose awareness of themselves (as they are themselves an important tool for the helping process). A social worker enters into a relationship, a dialogue that is the core of social work. Th e support of a client and resolution of his or her social situation cannot be carried out properly if the social worker struggles with some obstacles, stressors, and adverse factors that can negatively aff ect the whole helping relationship.

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Th ere is a wide range of tools and techniques to prevent burnout syndrome (concerning the social worker's activity), ranging from the setting of boundaries between professional and personal life, through protecting and maintaining mental health, to specifi c techniques designed in order to reduce stress and increase individual wellbeing. Spirituality (as one of the factors that aff ect the mental health of an individual) undoubtedly belongs to the category of protective agents. Th is does not have to be the case with all individuals, although it is debatable whether certain contents (which are not considered to be spiritual by people) can indeed be regarded as spiritual. Sociological research shows that Czechs only perceive as religious the activities and ideas that are associated with institutional religion, whereas belief in the supernatural (standing outside of the offi cial Church doctrine) is considered to be 'non-religious -spiritual' . 31 Kubicová talks about spiritual coping strategies (the processes of managing the external and internal factors which the individual is exposed to and which he or she evaluates as burdensome or threatening). Th ese are based on faith in spiritual values. At the heart of these processes is oft en the question of life objective, the sense of life, and the protective function (which are managed in relation to the existing system of meanings, the control system, and individual well-being). 32 Spirituality, belief, and religion can help people manage their lives, cope with stress, and face obstacles and pitfalls in their personal and professional lives. Mandinová even mentions the positive infl uence of faith on human health. 33 In today's professional and laity discourse, we can meet a holistic approach to man. Th is view includes four dimensions: biological, psychological (mental), social and spiritual. 34 It characterises man as a four-dimensional being. Each dimension generates certain needs that should be fulfi lled on an individual scale.

Th e Research Probe -Testing the Understandability of the Questions
Based on the above mentioned theoretical basics, I conducted a quantitative research probe to prove the existence of a relationship between the two variables -burnout syndrome and spirituality. Th e aim of the probe was to fi nd out whether social workers and social service workers consider spirituality as a protective factor (that can participate in the prevention of burnout syndrome) and if so, what is the particular form of this spirituality. A quantitative research probe was conducted through questionnaires distributed amongst social workers and workers who work in organisations providing social services in the South Bohemian region. Th e respondents had to fulfi l two conditions added into the sample -they were to be workers in helping professions and they were to be performing social work. Respondents participated in an accredited training course (the accreditation of the Ministry of Labour and Social Aff airs No. 2013/0542-PC / SP / VK) Th e Combatting of Burnout Syndrome. Th is course was organised by THEIA -a crisis centre in České Budějovice. Th e answering of questions in the questionnaire was not mandatory. It was just one of the several activities that were implemented within the course. In one block of this training course, questionnaires were given to participants by the lecturer. In total, 51 respondents participated. Two questionnaires had to be rejected for being incomplete. Th e total number of valid questionnaires was 49. Th e sample of respondents showed a gender standard typical of social work, women were represented by  45 participants (92%), men were represented by 4 (8%). Data collection was conducted from November 2016 to March 2017. Th e questionnaire contained six questions that focused on spirituality as a factor contributing to the prevention of burnout syndrome. If we talk about prevention and the possibilities to minimise the occurrence of burnout syndrome, there should be some space for expressing and refl ecting the spiritual dimension in the workplace. Th is is relevant especially during the performance of social work which (as mentioned above) places emphasis on all the dimensions of man (including the spiritual). Spirituality was, for the purpose of the questionnaire, characterised as a spiritual dimension that contains a certain personal relationship to the transcendent, either being God or a supernatural power. Given that the research probe was conducted with a relatively small number of respondents (although the workers were from diff erent types of organisations involved in social work) and was focused on a narrow section of the problem (specifi cally formulated, generalised questions), its results cannot be fully generalised. Large-scale quantitative research would ideally need to be carried out. Its results could be then compared with the results of the research probe. Th e fi rst question tried to fi nd out whether workers think spirituality is helping or can serve as a prevention of burnout syndrome. Th is question was formulated very generally and simply for the sake of understanding by the respondents, as its purpose was to fi nd out how much infl uence they give to spirituality (not to exhaustively defi ne what they mean by spirituality). Th e answer to this question was specifi ed in a fi ve-step scale -certainly yes (33%), yes (49%), no (8%), certainly not (2%) and don't know (8%). Respondents' answers show that more than two-thirds (82%) think that spirituality helps or can serve as a prevention of burnout syndrome. It can be concluded from this result that most social workers and social service workers perceive spirituality or the spiritual dimension as part of human unity, or (at least) as a dimension important in the process of maintaining mental well-being and balance (i.e., the psychological essentials possibly threatened by burnout syndrome). It would be very interesting to fi nd out whether the weight of spirituality would be diff erent for a larger number of respondents. Th e goal of the second question was to concretise the power of infl uence that respondents attribute to spirituality in the prevention of burnout syndrome. Respondents (on the six-digit scale 0-5) circled one number according to how strong the protective factor (according to their subjective opinion) spirituality represented (0 equals no infl uence, 5 equals very strong infl uence). Th e opinion that spirituality has no eff ect on the prevention of burnout syndrome (0 on the scale of infl uence) was held by 3% of the respondents. Also, 3% of respondents expressed the opinion that spirituality infl uences burnout syndrome very little (number 1). Th en, 16% of the respondents evaluated the infl uence of spirituality with number 2. For 27% of respondents, spirituality has a medium infl uence (number 3). A strong infl uence (number 4) was attributed to spirituality by 31% of respondents and a very strong infl uence of spirituality (number 5) was expressed by 14% of respondents. Th ese results show that almost half of the respondents consider spirituality to be a strong or even very strong factor in the process of preventing burnout syndrome. On the other hand, spirituality has a minor or medium infl uence for nearly half of the other respondents. In their opinion, it does not have an essential strength. Th ese respondents may consider spirituality as an additional protective factor which (among other things) interacts with stronger protective factors (i.e., the factors which aff ect burnout syndrome to a greater extent). Unfortunately, the question did not provide room for identifying any other specifi c protective factors. For a small number of respondents (about one tenth), spirituality had little or no infl uence on burnout syndrome. Respondents who answered (the fi rst question) that (in their view) spirituality does not serve as a factor in preventing burnout, either 7 2017 circled 0 or 1 on the scale (i.e., they attributed no or little infl uence to spirituality). Respondents who recognised spirituality and its high or very high infl uence on the prevention of burnout syndrome and selected scale number 4 or 5, responded to the fi rst question 'yes' or 'certainly yes' . Th e midpoint for this question was number 4 (15 respondents). Th e third question was formulated as open. It was trying to fi nd out in what way those responding can contribute to the prevention of burnout syndrome. Respondents were supposed to write their subjective view of how spirituality can help, or how it helps them specifi cally. One third of respondents left this question unanswered. Th erefore, such a result cannot be evaluated. Th ere could be several explanations for this. For example, respondents did not want to answer for some reason, did not have such an experience, or it was diffi cult for them to specify it due to a certain abstraction of the notion of spirituality. Most respondents who did not respond connected spirituality with little infl uence. Nevertheless, it was interesting that four respondents connected spirituality with a strong infl uence (number 4 or 5 on the scale), yet left this question blank. Following the fi rst two questions of the questionnaire, it could be assumed that such respondents (who consider spirituality to be important and have a strong infl uence on preventing burnout syndrome) should bring specifi c ideas about the forms of this infl uence. Two-thirds of respondents answered the open question. Th eir individual statements are grouped into the thematic units of answers in the following table. Table 1 How specifi cally can spirituality help you prevent burnout syndrome?
What is happening makes sense. Everything happens for some reason.
It provides help, comfort, the feeling that I can handle it all.
It gives the feeling of assurance (that I can ask for help).
It gives a diff erent view of the situation.
It provides an awareness of life and its meaning, belief in something that goes beyond us.
It gives a meaningfulness to work.
Belief or faith in something that goes beyond us.
We have the possibility to talk, listen, confess.
Prayer, Holy Mass, the perception of God's existence.
Th anks to faith, one is stronger, more resistant to stress, burden, negation.
One should not give up in diffi cult moments.
Have something to rely on. Th e most frequent answers were the statements saying that spirituality gives sense to what is happening and can provide some reason for it. In these expressions one can identify the need for meaning (as defi ned by V. E. Frankl in his logotherapy and which is also used in social work), a way of how to overcome diffi culties and obstacles, it provides help, it calms one down and gives a feeling that one can handle everything and that he or she can ask for help. Spirituality fosters an awareness of the meaning of life and includes faith in something that goes beyond us. Th e results identify the need for meaning, the need for safety, peace, and a place where it is possible to ask for help. Th ese, I myself identify as important in connection with spirituality. In two responses, specifi c Christian manifestations of spirituality (prayer, holy Mass, being conscious of God's existence, the principle of love for your neighbours) were identifi ed. In one response, spirituality unrelated to the traditional, historical Church emerged (Chinese Alternative Medicine). Th e fourth question was trying to fi nd out whether respondents had experienced burnout syndrome or some of its symptoms, such as depression, indiff erence, aversion, lack of concentration, reduced willingness to work with people, problems with sleeping, and others. It was a closed question with three categories of answers -yes, I have experienced burnout syndrome (10% of respondents); yes, I have encountered some manifestations of burnout syndrome (66% of respondents); no, I have not experienced it (24% of respondents). Th ese responses show how much social workers and workers in social services are endangered by burnout syndrome. Th ree quarters of respondents at least met the symptoms that accompany this negative and demanding mental and physical condition that threatens man both personally and professionally. Respondents who responded positively to the experience with burnout syndrome or its symptoms were asked (in open question 4.1) whether their spirituality was involved in solving burnout syndrome (or its manifestations) and, if so, how. However, 56% respondents left this question unanswered, even though they stated an experience with burnout syndrome (or its symptoms). As with the third question (where one third of the respondents did not mention a specifi c way of how spirituality can help prevent burnout syndrome), we cannot identify the reason why question 4.1 was left blank. It is not possible to clearly state that those who did not answer the question also had not included a spiritual dimension when solving their situation. It would be possible to assume (to some extent) that they were not aware of the involvement of spirituality, or they considered spirituality to be an intimate dimension of their lives and they did not want to speak about it publicly (even though the questionnaire was anonymous), or that they could not identify the involvement of spirituality. A further 22% of respondents stated that spirituality was not used or involved. Th e same number (22% of the respondents) mentioned an engagement of their spirituality when solving burnout syndrome. Th ese respondents (who gave a positive answer to the question about the involvement of spirituality in solving problems connected with the burnout syndrome) presented specifi c ways. Th ese are listed in Table 2. Table 2 How specifi cally was your spirituality involved in solving burnout syndrome?
My consciousness (that what is happening has a meaning) helped reconciliation. In a crisis situation, spirituality has lost its strength.
Awareness of the fact that clients need me.
Involvement on a personal level -alone.
Education, training in art therapy, I learned to praise.
Meeting a lady who taught me how to enjoy my time and how to forgive people. I was very much in touch with the guardian angels.
Prayer, asking for help.
Th e overall setting of man in terms of morality, ethical setting.
Partial philosophical and spiritual discussion.
Answers have revealed meanings such as reconciliation, awareness of the fact that clients need him or her, meeting with a person who supported him or her, prayer, a request for help, philosophical and spiritual discussion, and morality, the ethical setting of man. One of the respondents stated that (at the time of the crisis) his or her spirituality lost its strength. It shows that spirituality also can have other infl uences (than the one which supports human psyche and resilience) and can also have the opposite impact. Given that more than half of respondents did not respond to this question, these answers cannot be generalised or even sorted into thematic units within the sample of respondents. Th e last question was semi-open and focused on promoting the involvement of spirituality within the workplace of the respondents. Th e goal was to fi nd out whether the staff at their workplaces had a place to engage and refl ect on spirituality and whether they were interested. I have put this question in line with the above-mentioned assumption that burnout syndrome aff ects individuals on both the personal and the working level. Th e aim of the question was to fi nd out if respondents had the opportunity to express their spiritual dimension at the workplace and whether they did or did not express their spirituality. Respondents' answers were expressed on a four-level scale: yes, and I use this (17%), yes, but I do not use it (20%), no, but I would use it (9%), no, and I do not use it (54%). When workers used spirituality at their workplace (as one of the factors contributing to the prevention of burnout syndrome) it was mentioned in three responses in a form of supervision. It was not specifi ed whether it was team or individual supervision, or whether spirituality was addressed explicitly or as part of a particular area. In one case, discussions were held (not provided by the organisation) in a narrow circle of colleagues. An interesting conclusion can be drawn in connection with the last question -although almost half of respondents consider spirituality to be a strong or even very strong protective factor playing a role in the prevention of burnout syndrome, only less than one fi ft h use the possibilities of involvement and the refl ection of spirituality in the workplace, and one fi ft h of respondents do not use it although there is the option available. More than half of respondents do not use or work with the spiritual dimension in the workplace (or at least do not state it). From these results, we can conclude that there is a weak connection between spirituality (perceived as a personal issue) and the workplace (where social work is performed). In my view, it would be worthwhile to map out this situation in organisations that claim to have Christian foundations. Th e question would be whether in these organisations the interconnection of the personal and professional level would be diff erent than in our current sample of respondents.

Conclusion
Th e article aimed to introduce spirituality as one of the factors that help prevent the occurrence of burnout syndrome. Th rough a quantitative research probe, it focused on the opinions and experiences of social workers and workers in social services with spirituality and its impact on burnout syndrome. It tried to enlighten (generally) the concepts of spirituality, religiosity and religion. Spirituality as a personally experienced relationship to transcendental reality, and as the spiritual dimension of life that can be understood very individually, considers more than two-thirds of respondents as one of the possible sources that can prevent burnout syndrome. Less than half attributed to spirituality a strong infl uence and considered it a signifi cant protective factor. Spirituality can specifi cally help respondents in terms of meaning and meaningfulness of life (events, work), and gives the feeling of consciousness that there is something transcendental, the consciousness that one can manage things, that he or she is not alone and has a place to turn to for help, support and understanding. Answers have revealed both the infl uence of traditional Christian faith (the consciousness of God's existence, prayer, confession, the command of love for your neighbour), and the infl uence of alternative religiosity (alternative Chinese medicine). Although spirituality is important for a number of respondents and (according to them) has a connection with burnout syndrome, it has not always been involved in the solution for it or its symptoms. If it was incorporated, it was either an informal talk in a colleague circle, or a rather unspecifi ed involvement through supervision. Th e identifi cation of spirituality as a factor contributing to the prevention of burnout syndrome (which the workers themselves considered to be signifi cant) could create the possibility for special setting care for social workers and workers in social services, i.e., enriching it with a spiritual dimension. It would be interesting to extend the research probe and add quantitative research to it. A questionnaire could be distributed amongst a larger number of social workers and workers in social services so that generalisable conclusions could be drawn.