Department

Counseling and Human Services

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Date of Award

Fall 2023

Format

pdf

Degree Level

Ph.D.

LCSH subject

Emotional intelligence; Adjustment (Psychology); Child welfare workers -- Burn out (Psychology)

Proquest Document ID

30417272

Identifier

30417272 (Proquest ID)

School/University

St. Mary's University (San Antonio, Tex.)

Size or duration

160 pages

Document Type

Dissertation

First Advisor

Harper, Melanie

Abstract

There are low retention rates of child protective service caseworkers and this impacts the quality of care of the families served. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence, coping strategies and occupational burnout for CPS caseworkers. In addition, examining the relationship between education type, education level, and caseload size as it relates to emotional intelligence, coping strategies, and occupational burnout among child protective caseworkers. The theoretical framework utilized was the Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping. A convenience sampling was used to collect participants employed as FBSS or CVS caseworkers at Texas Department of Family Protective Services. A total of 177 CPS FBSS and CVS caseworkers were polled. The information was gathered through Texas Department of Family Protective Services case workers and through social media recruiting. Participants completed the Wong and Law EI Scale, Brief COPE Instrument, and Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, and a demographic survey. Results of the MANOVA showed a statistically significant Wilks’s lambda: Λ = .907, F(8 , 326) = 2.037, p < .042, partial n2 = .315. Followed with a multiple regression analysis, showed negative coping skills were found to be significant predictors of occupational burnout among child protective service workers. Examination of the unstandardized beta found that for every point or unit a CPS caseworker increased in negative coping, the participant increased on burnout by .437 points. The study's findings serve as a foundation for future research, policy, and practice recommendations. Keywords: child protective services, caseworkers, emotional intelligence, coping strategies, occupational burnout, education type, education level, caseload size, Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping, Texas Department of Family Protective Services, Wong and Law EI Scale, Brief COPE Instrument, Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, negative coping skills, positive coping skills, retention rates, quality of care, policy recommendations.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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