Select Research Articles (2000-2007)

• Nissly, J.A., Mor Barak, M.E. & Levin, A. (2005).  Stress, social support and workers’ intentions to leave their jobs in public child welfare. Administration in Social Work, 29(1), 79-100.

ABSTRACT. The present study examined the relationships among stress, social support, and intention to leave in 418 public child welfare workers. Workers with higher levels of stress were more likely to think about leaving, while those receiving greater social support were less likely. Social support did not buffer the effects of organizational stress, but had some effect in buffering the effects of work-family conflict. Implications for agency administration and future research are discussed.

• Mor Barak, M.E., Levin, A., Nissly, J.A. & Lane, C.J. (2005). Why do they Leave?  Modeling turnover intentions from child welfare workers’ perceptions of their organizational climate, Children and Youth Services Review, 28 (5): 548-577.

ABSTRACT. The high rates of turnover in the child welfare field have grave implications for service provision to vulnerable populations. Using mixed methods with SEM and constant comparative content analyses, the study tested a theoretical model of intention to leave among child welfare workers. The theoretical model was found to fit the data well, indicating that diversity, together with a stressful, unjust, exclusionary and non-supportive organizational climate, negatively influence individual wellbeing, job satisfaction and organizational commitment, resulting in intention to leave the job. Study findings hold implications for supervisory recruitment and training, structural and procedural systems reform, and future research.

• Mor Barak, M.E., Nissly, J.A., Levin, A. (2001). Antecedents to retention and turnover among child welfare, social work, and other human service employees: What can we learn from past research? A review and meta-Analysis” (2001), Social Service Review, 75(4), 625-661.

ABSTRACT. This study involves a metanalysis of 25 articles concerning the relationship between demographic variables, personal perceptions, and organizational conditions and either turnover or intention to leave. It finds that burnout, job dissatisfaction, availability of employment alternatives, low organizational and professional commitment, stress, and lack of social support are the strongest predictors of turnover or intention to leave. Since the major predictors of leaving are not personal or related to the balance between work and family but are organizational or job-based, there might be a great deal that both managers and policy makers can do to prevent turnover.