Commitment in Public Child Welfare

This study applies theoretical concepts derived from occupational sociology to develop and estimate a causal model of organizational and occupational commitment among public child welfare employees. It relies on structural equation modeling of data from a cross‐sectional survey of child welfare employees within the Missouri Department of Social Services. The results show that job satisfaction and organizational and occupational attachment are distinct but related constructs that are influenced by structural features of the workplace, job stressors, and professional identification.