Influence of Work Support on Social Workers’ Professional Identity: The Mediating Mechanisms of Job Autonomy and Organizational Commitment

Abstract

Social workers are professional forces providing social services. Currently, the lack of professional identity among Chinese social workers threatens the sustainability of social service provision. Based on the job demand-resource model, this study explores the influence of work support on professional identity and further verifies the mediating roles of job autonomy and organizational commitment. A sample of 5930 social workers was obtained from the first wave of the China Social Work Longitudinal Study. The empirical results indicated that increased work support significantly improved social workers’ professional identity. Specifically, work support promoted social workers’ professional identity by stimulating their job autonomy and organizational commitment. Practical implications for social policies and practices are discussed. This study points to a need for future studies to examine the influencing factors on social workers’ professional identity in detail and to design relevant interventions and programs for this population.