Independent and Combined Effects of Workplace Harassment Among Child Welfare Workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Radey M ; Sabuncu BC ; Stanley LHK ; Wilke DJ
• Description:
  Workplace harassment, or perceived mistreatment directed toward a worker, is dangerous to worker health and job attitudes. Child welfare workers are particularly susceptible to workplace harassment due to high-stress job environments. Using a work stress process framework, this study examined how perceptions of status-based bias (i.e., discriminatory behaviors based on a status characteristic), supervisor bullying (i.e., bullying behaviors from a supervisor), and client violence (i.e., violence perpetrated by clients) related to personal and work-related outcomes among child welfare workers. Separate models considered independent and collective effects. This study used data from the Florida Study of Professionals for Safe Families (FSPSF), a statewide sample of child welfare workers (n = 969). Regression models tested the associations among the types of workplace harassment and workers' outcomes. Descriptive findings indicated that, largely regardless of status characteristics, status-based bias, supervisor bullying, and client violence are pervasive. Linear regression results showed that harassment related to negative, independent, collective, and largely additive effects to mental health and job attitudes. The widespread nature of workplace harassment among child welfare workers coupled with the evidence that each additional form of harassment is associated with worse outcomes suggests the importance of proactive and responsive measures at the agency level. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Bullying Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Stress, Psychological Violence Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Workplace Harassment Child Care Workers Child Welfare Client Violence Job Stress Mental Health Status-based Bias Supervision Supervisory Personnel Worker Health Workplace Violence

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• ISSN:
  1092-6771
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Florida ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  32
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067766
• Citation:
  J Aggress Maltreat Trauma 2023 Nov; 32(11):1568-1588
• Contact Point Address:
  Melissa Radey, College of Social Work, Florida State University, 296 Champions Way, Tallahassee, FL 32306- 2570, USA
• Email:
  mradey@fsu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Performing Organization:
  Florida State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20220901
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma
• End Date:
  20240831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2dcf5d3702d3b2481fa6779f697cd46ab12039aa8f6597f4643db80f41156c1429bd5fa72833f1c1ca66bc2435f5052a1d2193951eb1fb8b3f8d078570cfafeb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230026/cdc_230026_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 651.13 KB ]