Employment-based social capital, job stress, and employee burnout: A public child welfare employee structural model

Abstract

This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between employment-based social capital, job stress and burnout among public child welfare workers in a Northeastern state. Since one of the core functions of social capital is support, this study examines how employees' perception of support from multiple organizational dimensions, such as trust, social relationships with coworkers and supervisors, organizational commitment, communication, influence, and fairness can shape levels of job stress and burnout. Utilizing a purposive sample of 209 employees, results of structural equation modeling indicate that social capital in the form of communication, supervisory support, organizational commitment, influence, and trust shared a significant association with job stress. Employment-based social capital had varying effects on burnout as characterized by emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Emotional exhaustion was significantly associated with age, influence, supervisory support, organizational commitment, and job stress, while depersonalization was predicted by age, organizational commitment, and job stress. Implications for organizational practice and future research are discussed.