The work related well being of social workers: Framing job demands, psychological well being, and work engagement
Summary Social workers' occupational health has become a central theme in the psychosocial literature. This study aimed at exploring how specific job demands and psychological well being are related to work engagement. A sample of 140 Italian social workers was analyzed in accordance with the job demands resources model. Participants were asked to complete a written questionnaire containing several measurement scales. Findings Multiple regression analyses showed that social workers' psychological well being was positively related to work engagement. Moderation analyses also indicated that, when psychological well being was high (vs. low) job demands were associated to higher levels of work engagement, thus highlighting the buffering role of psychological well being as a specific personal resource. When job demands were high (vs. low) the psychological well being appeared to be strongly related to lowest levels of work engagement, showing that high job demands could reduce the fostering role of psychological well being on social workers' work engagement. Applications While administration of job demands may often be difficult in social work contexts, managers should be encouraged, as part of a systemic approach to training, to promote specific measures for improving social workers' psychological well being as a personal resource for promoting work engagement.