Family burnout experiences of congenitally and acquired physically disabled individuals in Bursa

The problems faced by individuals with disabilities in social life pose problems in leading a healthy life and realizing themselves. The most important of these is the idea of being a burden. Individuals who see themselves as a burden to their loved ones and family in terms of care resent life and withdraw into their inner worlds. However, this situation is less common in individuals with a congenital disability compared to individuals with acquired disabilities. Therefore, in our study, it was aimed to comparatively explore the burnout experiences of individuals who were born with a physical disability and individuals who later had a physical disability due to seeing themselves as a burden on their families and to determine what kind of empowerment activities they need to overcome this difficulty. In order to achieve this goal, phenomenology, one of the qualitative research designs, was used in the study and data were collected through interview technique. In the study, interviews were conducted with a total of 12 people, 6 of whom were congenitally and 6 of whom were subsequently physically disabled, provided that there were equal numbers of male and female individuals. The data obtained as a result of the interviews were analyzed with MAXQDA program. In the light of the data obtained as a result of the examinations, when the different experiences of individuals with acquired physical disabilities and individuals with congenital physical disabilities were discovered; it was determined that they felt burdened towards the people they live with, that is, their families, and accordingly, they were more burned out. Especially in order to prevent these problems experienced by individuals with subsequent disabilities, or at least to minimize them as much as possible, studies based on the necessary empowerment approach should be carried out. Keywords: Social work, Disability, Burnout, Feeling of inadequacy, Empowerment approach