Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government
Veterans Benefits and Health Care About VA Find a VA Location

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Applying a Novel Approach to Understanding Social Worker Job Retention during the Pandemic.

Kranke DA, Kranke B, Solorzano E, Gioia D, Dobalian A. Applying a Novel Approach to Understanding Social Worker Job Retention during the Pandemic. Social work. 2024 Feb 16.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.    Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions


Abstract:

The job demands-resources (JD-R) theory explicates factors that facilitated social worker burnout prepandemic. Authors believe the JD-R theory can illustrate how certain factors facilitated social worker job retention in the novel context of the pandemic because a sizable group of social workers resisted burnout-related turnover. Disseminating these factors can benefit the profession. Qualitative cross-sectional data were elicited from a semistructured interview about experiences of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient social workers (N = 13) who provided care during the pandemic. Authors conducted content analysis and coded the text into six themes of factors that facilitated retention: (1) commitment to serving veteran population, (2) job flexibility, (3) supportive colleagues, (4) leadership support, (5) maintaining normal routines, and (6) trusting in scientific/evidence-based practices. Application of the JD-R theory illustrated how social workers utilized specific resources that balanced job demands during the pandemic and facilitated job retention. Future work should apply the JD-R theory among larger samples of VA social workers, as well as non-VA social workers, in the context of the pandemic, for comparative purposes. Authors conclude with policy implications related to the impact of permanently allowing telework options and job flexibility options among social workers.




Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.