Sudershan Pasupuleti

The Impact of Work-Family Conflict on Social Work and Human Service Worker Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment

Abstract The job stress literature for social workers has grown dramatically during the past twenty years, and it has shown that social service workers suffer from a significant amount of stress; however, Work-Family Conflict (WFC) is a stressor which has received little, if any, attention. WFC occurs when problems from work spillover in family life and vice versa, causing conflict. The four main types of WFC are family-based conflict (when problems at home spillover to work), time-based (when time at work takes away from family life), strain-based (when stress and strain from work causes problems at home), and behavior-based (when work roles cause problems at home or when home roles cause problems at work). This study examined the impact of different types of WFC on the job satisfaction and organizational commitment of social and human service workers. A survey of social and human service employees in Northwest Ohio was conducted in the Fall of 2002, and 255 surveys were returned. It was found that time-based conflict and behavior-based conflict had significant effects on job satisfaction, while strain-based conflict, and family-based conflict did not. Only behavior-based conflict had a significant impact on organizational commitment.

The Impact of Work Stressors on the Life Satisfaction of Social Service Workers: A Preliminary Study

During the past several decades, there has been an increase in the number of studies that have examined the impact of the work environment on social service employees. Much of this research has focused on how the work environment helps shape the job satisfaction, job stress, and burnout of workers. Very little research has been conducted on the impact of the work environment on the life satisfaction of employees of social service agencies. This study explored the effects of work stressors (e.g., job dissatisfaction, work-on-family conflict, family-on-work conflict, job stress, role ambiguity, role conflict, role overload, and dangerousness) on overall life satisfaction of employees of social service agencies, as well as the effects of life satisfaction on turnover intent. Multivariate analyses revealed that job dissatisfaction, work-on-family conflict, role ambiguity, and dangerousness had statistically significant effects on life satisfaction, and that age and life satisfaction had significant inverse relationships with turnover intention.

A Test of a Turnover Intent Model

In a multivariate test of a causal model, age, tenure, supervisory status, organizational commitment, and pay/benefit satisfaction were all negatively related to turnover intent among Midwestern social work employees. Additionally, job satisfaction and work environment variables had indirect effects on turnover intent through organizational commitment.

Differences in attitudes toward gays and lesbians among criminal justice and non-criminal justice majors

The criminal justice system is supposed to protect and serve all members of the community equally; therefore, any prejudicial attitudes harbored by criminal justice students may negatively impact their job performance as future justice professionals. Four hundred and eighty-four students at a large Midwestern university were surveyed on their views toward gay and lesbian persons and issues. The responses of criminal justice majors were compared to the responses of students majoring in other fields. Criminal justice majors tended to have more negative views of gays and lesbians than students in other majors. However, there was not a significant difference between the two groups of students in their willingness to extend rights to and socialize with gay and lesbian individuals.

Views on the death penalty among college students in India

While research abounds on attitudes toward capital punishment in the United States, such work has been lacking in non-western nations — particularly in India, the worlds largest democracy. Data recently collected have revealed variance in levels of support for the death penalty among Indian college students: 44 percent express some degree of opposition, 13 percent are uncertain, and 43 percent express some degree of support. Reasons for support or opposition also exhibited variance. According to a multivariate analysis, statistically significant reasons for support included retribution, instrumentalist goals, and incapacitation; while significant reasons for opposition included morality and the belief that deterrence could be achieved by imposing sentences of life without parole.

Service Learning: Community Engagement and Partnership for Integrating Teaching, Research, and Service

Although at times not well defined, service remains one of the three core missions in higher education, along with teaching and research. In developing this special issue on servicelearning, we were cognizant that service in higher education is defined by many parameters, not all of them meriting similar academic recognition and reward. However, all play important parts in the role that higher education institutions play in our society. Faculty service to their professional organizations and disciplines is one such key measure. Another is leadership service to the campus community, which often affords recognition to faculty, students, and staff. General community and public service that mobilizes faculty, students, and staff resources at colleges and universities into volunteer activities is often referred to as academic charity and may be also be a critical component of the cocurricular, or outside the classroom, experience at most colleges and universities. All of these concepts of service have benefits to both recipients and providers, as well as to campus and community, broadly defined. The role of higher education, including our research universities, in developing responsible citizens and promoting civic engagement has long been, and continues to be, an important debate in America, as well as around the world (Arthur and Bohlin, 2005; Benson & Harkavy, 2000; Bok, 1982; Checkoway, 1997; Fisher, Fabricant, & Simmons, 2004). The connection between the rise of urban society and the growth and development of the university, especially in America with its public and land grant universities, is another rich topic of debate and one of rising importance given the growth of universities as economic engines in their communities (Bender, 1988; Freeland, 2008; Kellogg Commission, 1999; Maurrasse, 2001; Ross,

The Efficacy of a Senior Outreach Program in the Reduction of Hospital Readmissions and Emergency Department Visits Among Chronically Ill Seniors

This study reports on the effectiveness of a community-based senior outreach program in decreasing rehospitalizations and emergency department visits among chronically ill seniors. Participants had been repeatedly hospitalized with chronic illnesses and were subsequently served in an in-home program designed to address their psychosocial and medical needs. Participation in the program was found to be related to lower hospital readmission rates and emergency department usage. Clients also reported decreased financial concerns and depression and anxiety and increased social support. The study adds to the growing body of work supporting community-based programs as effective strategies for decreasing health care usage and improving quality of life for chronically ill seniors

Support for community policing in India and the US: an exploratory study among college students

Purpose – While there is a growing body of studies on the peoples views of community policing, there have been a very few cross-national studies. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast students’ views on community policing from India and the USA. Design/methodology/approach – The data were from a survey from a total of 434 Indian and 484 US college students. Findings – Punitive orientation had a significant effect on attitudes toward community policing, but was related to an increase in the support in India and reduction of support in the USA. Among the Indian respondents, concern for crime and support for aggressive policing had positive associations with support for community policing, and police involvement in the community had a negative association. Among the US respondents, age, educational level, and perceptions of police effectiveness had positive associations with support for community policing, and holding a punitive orientation had a negative association. Originality/value – This...

An Exploratory Comparison of Policing Views Between Indian and U.S. College Students

While there is a large amount of research on public attitudes toward the police, far fewer studies have examined citizen’s views of the police in non-Western nations. Even less is known regarding Indian citizens’ perceptions of the police. Based on survey data collected from over 900 college students, this exploratory study compared and contrasted college students’ views of policing in India and the United States. The results uncovered both intranational and international differences in three areas of views of the police, including general satisfaction with the police, support for aggressive policing, and support for community policing. Indian students in general were less satisfied with the performance of the police; yet, more supportive of both aggressive policing and community policing than their U.S. counterparts. Perceptions of the police varied somewhat by gender, age, and academic level.

Comparing and Contrasting the Formal and Informal Crime Control Views of Indian and U.S. College Students A Preliminary Study

This study examined the importance of formal and informal crime control in the United States and India. Formal crime control relies on the law and official government agencies to deter criminal actions and to respond to criminal activity. Informal crime control relies on moral and social institutions (e.g., family, peers, and neighbors) to promote lawful behavior. Using the data collected from 928 college students, the study found that the Indian and U.S. respondents differed on most of the formal and informal control measures. Overall, the Indian respondents were more likely to rank informal control as more important than were their U.S. counterparts. Although there were differences, both groups of respondents shared similar views on the importance of both forms of crime control and held that family was the most important form of crime control.