RESEARCH ON AGING Jinnett, Alexander / STAFF IN HEALTH CARE SETTINGS The Influence of Organizational Context on Quitting Intention An Examination of Treatment Staff in Long-Term Mental Health Care Settings

This study uses multilevel methods to investigate the effects of organizational context on job satisfaction and quitting intention among staff working in long-term mental health care settings. Two types of organizational features are examined: group job sat-isfaction and structural features of the work unit (unit size, workload, and level of cli-ent functioning on the unit). A review of the organizational literature reveals that most empirical research has investigated job satisfaction at the individual level of analysis rather than the group level. The authors argue that the affective context of a group has real and measurable consequences for individual attitudes and behavior, independent of individual attitudes toward the job. Using multilevel modeling, study findings sup-port the premise that group job satisfaction exercises effects on intention to quit inde-pendent of individuals ’ dispositions toward their jobs. These effects are both direct and interactive. The findings underscore the importance of affective context in shap-ing individual attitudes and behavioral intentions. The demand for long-term care continues to grow, particularly for that segment of the population of older adults with complex care needs (Robertson and Cummings 1996). Coupled with this increasing de-mand is a longstanding and continuing shortage of qualified and com-mitted caregivers in long-term care. Recruiting and retaining qualifie