Abstract
Acute prolonged stress is associated with burnout and negative health outcomes. Informed by ecological systems theory and the diathesis-stress model, this exploratory study investigated possible relationships between demographics, perceived stress, and interest level in learning about self-care and stress management techniques in a classroom setting. A convenience sample of second-year MSW students (n = 68) was drawn from California State University and respondents were asked to rate their level of interest among a set of choices of potential self-care topics. Results indicated that students experience high levels of stress and are very interested in learning self-care techniques in a classroom, though these two issues were not correlated (r = -.059, p > .05). Participants were most interested in learning about how to reduce stress and avoid burnout. Results may be used to guide choice of curriculum for a class that teaches self-care or has a self-care component.