Professional identity and turnover intentions of social workers in Beijing, China: The roles of job satisfaction and agency type

2017/07/07 by Haiyan Jiang, Yean Wang, Ernest Chui +1 · 1 citation
Health Professions · Social Sciences · #Homelessness and Social Issues #Social Policy and Reform Studies #Social Work Education and Practice

paper · doi:10.1177/0020872817712564

crossref issued 2017/07/07 · crossref published 2017/07/07 · crossref published-online 2017/07/07 · openalex publication_date 2017/07/07 · crossref created 2017/12/31 · crossref published-print 2019/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref deposited 2026/04/29 · crossref indexed 2026/07/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30

Abstract

In order to address the ascending turnover rate among social workers in China, this article presents the idea, based on social identity theory, that professional identity is an important factor influencing turnover rate. Employing structural equation modelling (SEM) techniques, the study found that professional identity was negatively associated with social workers’ turnover intentions, and that social workers’ job satisfaction mediated the relationship between professional identity and their turnover intentions. The findings suggest that more work needs to be done on social work education and public image construction in China.

Citations

• Social identity theory: past achievements, current problems and future challenges
• Testing Mediational Models With Longitudinal Data: Questions and Tips in the Use of Structural Equation Modeling.
• Self-categorisation, commitment to the group and group self-esteem as related but distinct aspects of social identity
• Resilience and Burnout in Child Protection Social Work: Individual and Organisational Themes from a Systematic Literature Review

Cited by

• Toward a definition of professional identity for social work: Findings from a scoping review

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