Attachment classification and years of service in a sample of human service providers working in child welfare

ABSTRACT

Employee turnover is a pressing problem facing human service professions, especially professionals providing services in the child welfare system. Few studies have examined whether psychological characteristics contribute to turnover. Research suggests that insecure attachment representations may impact burnout and secondary traumatic stress, both common causes of turnover. However, little is known about whether attachment representations vary by years of service among human service providers working with the child welfare system. The purpose of this study was to determine if attachment classifications predicted number of years of service in a sample of 467 service providers working in the child welfare system. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, including the number of years in the human service profession, and the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Multiple regression models were conducted to determine if attachment classification and demographic variables predicted number of years of service. Data revealed that having a dismissing attachment classification predicted more years of service. Having a preoccupied attachment classification predicted fewer years of service. Possible causes and well as implications of these differences are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Attachment representations
• AAI
• human service professionals

Declaration of interest statement

There are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication and there has been no significant financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome.

Data availability

The data described in this article are openly available in the Open Science Framework at DOI:10.17605/OSF.IO/TPA6U.