Child Welfare Workers’ Personal Safety Concerns and Organizational Commitment: The Moderating Role of Social Support

Abstract

This study examined the association between child welfare workers’ safety concerns and organizational commitment, with specific attention to the possible cross-level interaction effect of leader-member exchange (LMX) on the relationship between workers’ safety concerns (organizational level) and organizational commitment (individual level). Results suggested that frequent exposure to unsafe working environments were associated with lower levels of organizational commitment. Cross-level interaction of LMX was found, which indicates that as the quality of leader-member exchange improves, the negative relationship between unsafe climate and organizational commitment decreases. The importance of workplace safety and its relevance for administrative practice are discussed.

Keywords:

• child welfare
• multilevel analysis
• organizational commitment
• safety
• workplace violence

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A previous version of this article was presented at the Council of Social Work Education, 56th Annual Program Meeting, Portland, Oregon. This article has not been published elsewhere and has not been submitted simultaneously for publication elsewhere.