Does job resource loss reduce burnout and job exit for professionally trained social workers in child welfare?

This study contributes to the literature on burnout and turnover in child welfare by examining the applicability of conservation of resources theory (COR). This theory argues that a loss of resources leads to the stress underlying burnout. This article examines the loss of two resources in particular: (a) the loss of a member of the entering cohort of workers and (b) change in the coethnic population of the community in which the social worker practices. In this sample of 1001 specially trained social workers, 44.3% reported high levels of emotional exhaustion or burnout. Stress was positively associated with burnout. Likewise, job satisfaction was protective against burnout. Furthermore, coethnic resources were associated with higher personal accomplishment scores for Asian-American, Hispanic, and Caucasian workers. Cohort member loss was not associated with burnout when controlling for personal resources and organizational factors, but cohort member loss did triple the odds of others in the cohort leaving. However, burnout was not associated with job exit in this sample. Although this study did not find evidence that cohort loss or coethnic loss was associated with burnout, it raises questions for further research about the social network implications of turnover.