Trajectories and Predictors of Client Violence Among Child Protection Services Workers

This study used social dominance theory and the Jobs Demands-Resources (JD-R) model to: (1) examine child protective services (CPS) workers' trajectories of client violence, including yelling, threats, and physical violence over job tenure; and (2) assess how demographic characteristics and job attributes contributed to the trajectories.

Using data from a longitudinal study of newly-hired CPS workers (n = 837-859 depending on outcome), we examined trajectories of client violence from 6 months to 3.5 years. Multi-level mixed effect logistic regression was used to examine how demographic variables and time-lagged job attribute predictors (e.g., caseload characteristics, time pressure, role demands) contributed to the occurrence of client violence over time.

Over the study period, the experience of being yelled at declined from 80% to 64%. Being threatened declined from nearly 48% to nearly 39%, while physical violence did not change. Younger and White workers as well as women generally experienced higher rates of non-physical violence. Caseload difficulty, role demands, and time pressure related to higher rates of non-physical violence, while organizational supports were not significant. Physical violence occurred sporadically; time pressure was the only significant variable. The influence of job attributes on each form of violence did not change over time.

The high rates of non-physical violence, particularly during early tenure, suggest the need for providing vulnerable workers the skills to assess for and manage client violence. When violence occurs, developing responsive protocols for CPS workers at all levels can nourish a culture of safety thereby reducing future incidents.