Leave it at the gate: job stress and satisfaction in correctional staff

Though academic literature firmly establishes an inverse relationship between job stress and job satisfaction, global correctional studies fail to examine the extent of that affiliation on overall correctional job satisfaction. As such, this study uses a faceted approach to explore underlying relationships between organizational, job, and personal characteristics of correctional staff and causes of job stress and satisfaction. Using the Job Satisfaction Survey, nine aspects of job satisfaction are considered. The Work Stress Scale for Correctional Officers’ analyses of five areas of stress directly related to correctional environments. This study examines both uniform and nonuniform staff assigned to a minimum security prison. On average, staff scored well below the average American worker on the Job Satisfaction Survey. Job satisfaction was predicted exclusively by job characteristics or stressors, including the job itself, role conflict, and ambiguity, and the physical condition of the prison, while employee demographic variables and variables that measure healthy lifestyles (such as sleep and exercise) were not significant predictors. While job stress does predict a substantively significant portion of job satisfaction (21%), there is still room to improve prediction.     

At the Polls

ABSTRACT

In this study, the authors attempt to add to existing knowledge on voter psyche during elections by examining the roles of voter concern and voters' desire to “keep up to date,” both of which have hitherto not been studied in this context. The analysis of data collected during a specific election in Australia reveals significant relationships with several well known psychological factors. The authors discuss these findings in the context of political marketing and furnish directions for future research.     

How Does Professional Education Impact the Job Outlook of Public Child Welfare Workers?

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine how public child welfare employees perceive their graduate social work education, whether they use the knowledge and skills gained, their work satisfaction, and their future plans. It was designed to examine the experiences of the New York City Administration on Children's Services (ACS) employees who were participants in the Professional Development Program and received support to study for their master's degrees in social work. The total number of respondents surveyed was 153, the vast majority of whom were people of color. In considering their motives for attending graduate school, 96 percent emphasized their desire to serve children and families better. These graduates were very positive about their academic and field experiences, with almost all saying they would recommend MSW training to others. There was a constant progression in their perceived knowledge and skill level over time. They expressed a mid-level of satisfaction with their current jobs, but higher satisfaction with the nature of the work itself. It was striking to note the respondents' attitudes about remaining employed at ACS. Only 13 percent of those who responded said they planned to leave within the next two years Almost a third (32.6%) said they thought they'd stay at least 5-9 years, and 39.8 percent said they would probably stay 10 years or longer. Satisfaction with the nature of the work and pay were the two strongest predictors of the length of time respondents planned to stay at ACS. These are important findings because they demonstrate that public investment in MSW education can have significant pay-off by increasing the knowledge and skills of public child welfare workers and encouraging long-term commitment to the work.     

An Exploratory Examination of a Gendered Model of the Effects of Role Stressors

A gendered model of the effects of role stressors on job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment was tested. Ordinary least squares regression analysis of survey data from correctional staff provided partial support for the proposition that men and women perceive and respond to the work environment differently. Work–family conflict was found to influence levels of job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment among women but not among men. Conversely, role ambiguity, role overload, and perceived dangerousness influenced levels of job stress for men but not women. Furthermore, levels of role conflict and role ambiguity influenced levels of job satisfaction for men but not for women. These findings lend support to further development of gendered theoretical models.     

Not all election winners are equal: Satisfaction with democracy and the nature of the vote

It is well known that individuals who voted for the winning party in an election tend to be more satisfied with democracy than those who did not. However, many winners deviate from their first choice when voting. It is argued in this article that the mechanisms that engender satisfaction operate less forcefully among such winners, thereby lessening the impact of victory on satisfaction. Results show that the gap in satisfaction over electoral losers among these ‘non‐optimal winners’ is, in fact, much smaller than that of ‘optimal winners’, who voted in line with their expressed preferences. A win matters more for those who have a bigger stake in victory. The article further explores how the effect of optimal victory on satisfaction varies across electoral systems.     

当代青年满意度的初步研究——以陕西青年为例

通过对陕西4567名青年进行16项满意度的问卷调查,结果显示:陕西青年的满意度总体较低,不同区域、性别、学历的青年在满意度的各项指标上存在显著性差异。从区域上看,陕北的青年满意度较高;从性别上看,女性的满意度较高;从学历上看,学历水平的高低与满意度不成正相关。文章根据调查结果提出了思考与建议。     

基于ACSI模型的陕西公共交通满意度问题研究

依据ACSI模型(美国顾客满意度指数)对陕西交通服务的顾客满意度进行分析。首先运用模糊综合评判法对问卷调查的数据进行处理,得出影响顾客满意度的各评价指标的分值,接着应用SPSS软件分析影响顾客满意度的各因素的相关性,得出回归方程,最终计算出陕西省交通服务的顾客满意度值,以此为相关部门制定交通发展规划和相关管理政策提供科学依据。关于ACSI模型的研究方法和结论对其他省份交通部门,也具有一定的借鉴意义。     

Are There Gender Differences in Sustaining Dating Violence? An Examination of Frequency, Severity, and Relationship Satisfaction

One topic of debate within the field of intimate violence involves the equivalence, or lack thereof, of male-perpetrated versus female-perpetrated violence. To inform this debate, we examined potential gender-related differences in the frequency of sustaining violence, the severity of violence sustained, and effects of violence on relationship satisfaction. Data were collected from 2 samples of heterosexual undergraduates in dating relationships. In both studies, men and women experienced violence at comparable frequencies, although men experienced more frequent moderate violence. Rates of severe violence were extremely low for both sexes across studies. In both investigations, only women experienced lower relationship satisfaction as a function of partner violence. In Study 1, relationship status moderated this effect, such that women in serious dating relationships were less satisfied than either women in less serious relationships or than men as a function of partner violence. In Study 2, women were less satisfied with violent relationships than men regardless of relationship status. We contend that gender-sensitive approaches to relationship violence are important to better understand and prevent both male- and female-perpetrated violence. Directions for future research efforts are outlined.     

公务员满意度影响因素特性分析

从理论上系统地分析和解释公务员满意度问题,有助于改善政府公共管理实践,并促进我国公务员管理制度的发展完善.通过国外公共部门雇员薪酬满意度和工作满意度影响因素的有关研究,公务员薪酬满意度影响因素并不局限于货币薪酬,而是涵盖了薪酬制度与管理等非经济性薪酬因素范畴.同时,公务员工作满意度影响因素表现出鲜明的行政层级差异性.最后,公共部门与私营部门比较分析表明,公务员满意度影响因素与私营部门员工具有显著差异.应以这种差异性与特殊性作为公务员报酬机制设计的理论基础,以私营部门作为参照系,以提高公务员满意度为目标,兼顾外在报酬因素和内在报酬因素,区分不同行政层级设计公务员报酬激励机制.     

我国政策评价方法的构建

政策评价方法是指在政策评价过程中所采用的方法,我国目前没有政策评价法相关法律的规范,亦没有对政策评价方法做出明确的规定。本文从构建我国政策评价的重要性出发,简述我国政策评价制度存在的问题,并分析其原因,介绍我国在实践中所运用的政策评价方法,提出推动成本——收益评价方法与公众满意度评价方法的建议。