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Job conditions, unmet expectations, and burnout in public child welfare workers: How different from other social workers?

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  • Kim, Hansung

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to compare public child welfare workers' perception of job conditions, unmet expectations, and burnout to those of social workers in other settings. Using data from a sample of 408 social workers identified from a cross-sectional random survey of California registered social workers, a series of ANOVA and multiple regression analysis was performed. Results of ANOVA revealed that public child welfare workers experienced higher workloads, greater role conflict, and depersonalization, and had lower personal accomplishment. However, they had similar levels of unmet expectations and emotional exhaustion as other social workers. Adjusted for perceived job conditions and demographic characteristics, regression analyses revealed that public child welfare workers had significantly higher levels of depersonalization than those of private child welfare workers. Finally, workers in public settings exhibited significantly lower levels of personal accomplishment than social workers in private settings did, regardless of their practice field. Implications for organizational practices and future research are discussed.

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  • Kim, Hansung, 2011. "Job conditions, unmet expectations, and burnout in public child welfare workers: How different from other social workers?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 358-367, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:33:y:2011:i:2:p:358-367
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    1. Boyas, Javier & Wind, Leslie H., 2010. "Employment-based social capital, job stress, and employee burnout: A public child welfare employee structural model," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 380-388, March.
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    2. Boyas, Javier F. & Wind, Leslie H. & Ruiz, Erika, 2015. "Exploring patterns of employee psychosocial outcomes among child welfare workers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 174-183.
    3. Miriam Mutambudzi & Kene Henkens, 2020. "Chronic health conditions and work-related stress in older adults participating in the Dutch workforce," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 499-508, December.
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    6. Smith, Brenda D. & Prichard, Caroline & Boltz, Laura D., 2016. "Do child welfare job preview videos reflect evidence on retention and turnover?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 210-216.
    7. Griffiths, Austin & Royse, David & Murphy, April & Jones, Olivia & Culver, Kalee & Turner, James & Smajlovic, Alma, 2023. "Exploratory factor analysis and reliability of the Child Welfare Employee Feedback Scale: Further revision (CWEFS-R)," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    8. Lee, Eunju & Esaki, Nina & Kim, Jeehoon & Greene, Rose & Kirkland, Kristen & Mitchell-Herzfeld, Susan, 2013. "Organizational climate and burnout among home visitors: Testing mediating effects of empowerment," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 594-602.
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    10. Lizano, Erica L. & Mor Barak, Michalle, 2015. "Job burnout and affective wellbeing: A longitudinal study of burnout and job satisfaction among public child welfare workers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 18-28.
    11. King, Erin A., 2021. "Child welfare workers’ experiences of client-perpetrated violence: Implications for worker mental health," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    12. Boonzaaier, Emma & Truter, Elmien & Fouché, Ansie, 2021. "Occupational risk factors in child protection social work: A scoping review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
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    15. Orsi-Hunt, Rebecca & Harrison, Courtney L. & Rockwell, Kayla E. & Barbee, Anita P., 2023. "Addressing secondary traumatic stress, burnout, resilience and turnover in the child welfare workforce: Results from a 6-month, cluster-randomized control trial of Resilience Alliance," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    16. Chung, Youngsoon & Choo, Hyekyung, 2019. "A structural path to job satisfaction, burnout, and intent to leave among child protection workers: A South Korean study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 304-312.
    17. Affrunti, Nicholas W. & Mehta, Tara & Rusch, Dana & Frazier, Stacy, 2018. "Job demands, resources, and stress among staff in after school programs: Neighborhood characteristics influence associations in the job demands-resources model," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 366-374.
    18. Edwards, Frank & Wildeman, Christopher, 2018. "Characteristics of the front-line child welfare workforce," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 13-26.
    19. Griffiths, Austin & Royse, David & Walker, Robert, 2018. "Stress among child protective service workers: Self-reported health consequences," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 46-53.
    20. He, Amy S. & Lizano, Erica L. & Stahlschmidt, Mary Jo, 2021. "When doing the right thing feels wrong: Moral distress among child welfare caseworkers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    21. Griffiths, Austin & Royse, David & Culver, Kalee & Piescher, Kristine & Zhang, Yanchen, 2017. "Who stays, who goes, who knows? A state-wide survey of child welfare workers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 110-117.
    22. Virat, Mael & Dubreil, Caroline, 2020. "Building secure attachment bonds with at-risk, insecure late adolescents and emerging adults: Young people’s perceptions of their care workers’ caregiving behaviors," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).

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