A Structural Equation Model on Stress Coping Among Social Workers

Authors

  • Rhea Amor Lara Davao del Norte State College
  • Arian Rey Ladroma Davao del Norte State College
  • Dionalie Jay Recapente Davao del Norte State College
  • Elline Castilla Davao del Norte State College
  • Joanaros Fahit Davao del Norte State College
  • Ronel Dagohoy National Research Council of the Philippines

Keywords:

Applied Social Science, Social Work, Mental Health, Stress Coping, , Social Workers, Structural Equation Modeling, Philippines

Abstract

Coping with stress is crucial for social workers, given the demanding nature of their profession. This study examines the impact of emotional intelligence, interpersonal dynamics, and public service motivation on the ability of social workers in Davao Region, Philippines to manage stress. Utilizing Structural Equation Modeling, the research identifies the best-fit model for stress coping strategies among social workers. Data were collected from 300 participants through random sampling, with the analysis revealing high levels of emotional intelligence, particularly in attention to feelings, and significant public service motivation, especially in commitment to public interest. The study finds that while emotional intelligence and public service motivation positively influence stress coping, interpersonal treatment in the workplace has a negative impact. The best-fit model underscores the importance of integrating emotional intelligence and fostering supportive interpersonal relationships to enhance stress management among social workers. These findings suggest that organizational strategies should focus on emotional intelligence development and positive workplace interactions to improve social workers' resilience against stress. Furthermore, these findings can inform policy-making and organizational strategies to create a more supportive work environment, ultimately enhancing the well-being and efficiency of social workers in their roles.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Amir, K., & Kihoro, M. F. (2014). Work stress and coping strategies among social workers: A case of Northern Uganda. Academia. Retrieved January 4, 2023, from https://www.scirp.org/(S(czeh2tfqw2orz553k1w0r45))/reference/referencespapers.aspx?referenceid=2885263

Bachman, R., & Schutt, R. K. (2013). The practice of research in criminology and criminal justice. Sage.

Bagozzi, R. P., & Yi, Y. (2012). Specification, evaluation, and interpretation of structural equation models. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 40(1), 8-34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-011-0278-x

Baqutayan, S. M. S., & Mai, M. M. (2012). Stress, strain and coping mechanisms: An experimental study of fresh college students. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 16(1), 19. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://www.proquest.com/openview/7775d7efdc36e9e46f023c0826af745a/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=38741

Calitz, T., Roux, A., & Strydom, H. (2014). Factors that affect social workers' job satisfaction, stress, and burnout. Social Work, 50(4), 607-618 https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swu050

Chinaveh, M. (2013). The examination of reliability and validity of coping responses inventory among Iranian students. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 84, 1117-1121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.702

Dagohoy, R., & Dura, A. (2022). Modeling the public service motivation of local government employees. AJMI-ASEAN Journal of Management and Innovation, 9(2), 142-152. https://ajmi.stamford.edu/index.php/ajmi/article/view/351

Deng, J., Li, Y., Sun, Y., Lei, R., & Yang, T. (2019). Public service motivation as a mediator of the relationship between job stress and presenteeism: A cross-sectional study from Chinese public hospitals. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1), 267. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4483-5

Donovan, M. A., Drasgow, F., & Munson, L. J. (1998). The Perceptions of Fair Interpersonal Treatment scale: Development and validation of a measure of interpersonal treatment in the workplace. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(5), 683-692. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.83.5.683

Doorn, J., Tanis, C., & Burger, J. (2019). Structural Equation Modeling. JASP Manual. https://osf.io/xkg3j

Fteiha, M., & Awwad, N. (2020). Emotional intelligence and its relationship with stress coping style. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 559843 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.559843

Gilardi, S., Guglielmetti, C., Converso, D., Fida, R., & Viotti, S. (2020). Third-party aggression and emotion work among nurses: Testing a moderated mediation model. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 1884. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01884

Goertz, G. (2012). Descriptive–Causal Generalizations:‘Empirical Laws’ in the Social Sciences?. The Oxford handbook of philosophy of social science, 85-108.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. https://asantelim.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/daniel-goleman-emotional-intelligence.pdf

Grant, L., & Kinman, G. (2021). Developing emotional resilience and wellbeing: A practical guide for social workers. https://www.frimleyhealthandcare.org.uk/media/1805/developing-emotional-resilience.pdf

Hoelter, J. W. (1983). The analysis of covariance structures: Goodness-of-fit indices. Sociological Methods & Research, 11(3), 325-344. https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124183011003003

Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Taylor & Francis Online. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10705519909540118

Ingram, R. (2013). Emotions, social work practice and supervision: An uneasy alliance? Taylor & Francis Online. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02650533.2012.745842

Kim, S. (2009). Revising Perry's Measurement Scale of Public Service Motivation. Sage Journals. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0275074008317681

Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Transactional Model. Science Direct.

Liu, B., Zhang, X., & Lv, X. (2014). Compassion as the Affective Dimension of Public Service Motivation in a Chinese Context. ResearchGate. Retrieved January 4, 2023, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263749669_Compassion_as_the_Affective_Dimension_of_Public_Service_Motivation_in_a_Chinese_Context

Margaret, K., Ngigi, S., & Mutisya, S. (2018). Sources of occupational stress and coping strategies among teachers in borstal institutions in Kenya. Edelweiss: Psychiatry Open Access, 2(1), 18-21.

Mohammed, E. A., Naugler, C., & Far, B. H. (2015). Emerging business intelligence framework for a clinical laboratory through big data analytics. In Emerging Trends in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, and Systems Biology: Algorithms and Software Tools (pp. 577-602).

Morales-Rodriguez, F. M., & Perez-Marmol, J. M. (2019). The Role of Anxiety, Coping Strategies, and Emotional Intelligence on General Perceived Self-Efficacy in University Students. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01689/full

Nappo, N. (2020). Job stress and interpersonal relationships cross country evidence from the EU15: a correlation analysis - BMC Public Health. BMC Public Health. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-020-09253-9

Ohling, L. (2016). Preventing Burnout: An Exploration of Social Workers' Challenges and Coping Strategies. St. Catherine University.

Raudeliūnaitė, R., & Volff, G. (2020). The causes of stress at work amongst social workers. In 7th International Interdisciplinary Scientific Conference Society. Health. Welfare. Riga, Latvia, October 10–12, 2018/L. Vilka, J. Vike (Eds.). Ulis: EDP Sciences, 2020. ISBN 9782759891122.

Salovey, P., Mayer, J. D., Goldman, S. L., Turvey, C., & Palfai, T. P. (1995). Emotional attention, clarity, and repair: Exploring emotional intelligence using the Trait Meta-Mood Scale. APA Psycnet. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1995-98769-006

Stanley, S., & Buvaneswari, M. (2020). Do stress and coping influence resilience in social work students? A longitudinal and comparative study from India. Sage Journals. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0020872820905350

Stoetzer, U. (2010). Interpersonal Relationships at Work: Organization, Working Conditions and Health. ProQuest. https://www.proquest.com/openview/bf3384733899ac90e348cafa3b163b81/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2026366&diss=y

Suresh, T. S. (2018). Figure 1: Unstandardized Estimates of Knowledge Model Normed Fit Index. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Unstandardized-Estimates-of-Knowledge-Model-Normed-Fit-Index-NFI-It-is-a-ratio-of-the_fig1_341446385

Tavakol, M., & Dennick, R. (2011). Making sense of Cronbach's alpha. International journal of medical education, 2, 53.

Valiyeva, A. (2022). Emotional Intelligence and Stress Coping: An Organizational Perspective. Journal of Positive School Psychology. https://journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/view/8837

Wang, T.-M., Witteloostuijn, A. V., & Heine, F. (2020). A Moral Theory of Public Service Motivation. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.517763/full

Yaşlıoğlu, M. M., & Yaşlıoğlu, D. T. (2020). How and When to Use Which Fit Indices? A Practical and Critical Review of the Methodology. Istanbul University Press.

Published

01.10.2024

Issue

Section

Original Research

How to Cite

Lara, R. A. ., Ladroma, A. R., Recapente, D. J. ., Castilla, E., Fahit, J., & Dagohoy, R. (2024). A Structural Equation Model on Stress Coping Among Social Workers. Journal of Social Work Education and Practice, 9(4). https://jswep.in/index.php/jswep/article/view/302