Occupational resilience: Protective factors among clinical social workers.

摘要

This study delineates psychosocial determinants of job engagement and job burnout among a sample of clinical social workers. Multiple regression analyses are presented that explore two models of job engagement, the opposite polarity of job burnout. Model 1 replicates Maslach's model of job engagement, and demonstrates moderate support for her framework. Specifically, the following independent variables all predict job engagement: workload, job process, community and fairness. Model 2 elaborates upon Maslach's model by introducing coping styles as mediating variables. Hierarchical regression testing of Model 2 demonstrated only mild support. However, the findings suggested that the development of mediated models is worthy of future research, given the slight evidence for mediation and the conceptual richness of adding personal factors. Additionally, the findings for Model 2 show that social support seeking directly predicted job engagement. Fundamentally, these quantitative findings suggested that both organizational and personal variables were related to job engagement, but need to be elaborated further in future research that examines the interplay between these variables.; Additionally, qualitative findings are presented based on interviews of job engaged workers. These qualitative findings reveal that job engaged workers moderately affirm Maslach's determinants of job engagement, but conflate these determinants with economic variables. Additionally, these workers attribute their engagement to other variables, including problem-focused coping, optimism, conscientiousness, internal locus of control, humor, spirituality and job-meaning, skill match, job variety, gender, age, maturity and relaxation coping. Additionally, interviews suggest numerous caveats regarding Model 1 and 2. In particular, the linear nature of Model 1 and 2 is challenged by respondents, who view themselves as acting on their job environment, consistent with ecological and cybernetic models of job engagement and resilience.; Additionally, the qualitative interviews reveal personal resilience among a subgroup of engaged workers, insomuch as this subgroup reports transcendence of severe adversity in their personal lives. Similarly, engaged workers' exposure to substantial occupational stressors demonstrates an ability to transcend adversity, consistent with notions of resilience. Accordingly, all of the engaged workers who were interviewed may be labeled as vocationally resilient. Taken together, the quantitative and qualitative findings suggest the importance of organizational, personality and coping factors that enhance job engagement and constitute occupational resilience.