How Job Satisfaction Is Associated with Psychological Well-Being among Social Workers in Turkey: The Mediating Role of Meaning in Life

AbstractThe job satisfaction of social workers working with disadvantaged groups plays a crucial role in providing quality service. Social workers derive their psychological wellbeing by finding meaning in their work, which is essential in their work with clients. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of meaning in life and the moderating role of spiritual orientation in the relationship between job satisfaction and psychological wellbeing among social workers. The study was conducted online, using a quantitative cross-sectional design with 303 social workers in Turkey. The researchers utilized scales measuring job satisfaction, psychological wellbeing, meaning in life, and spiritual orientation. Confirmatory factor analysis, correlation, direct, indirect, and moderation analyses were performed using AMOS, SPSS, and Process Macro programs. The results showed that job satisfaction had a positive relationship with meaning in life and psychological wellbeing, and meaning in life mediated the relationship between job satisfaction and psychological wellbeing. The study also found that spiritual orientation moderated the relationship between job satisfaction and psychological wellbeing among social workers. Further examination of these factors in future studies may shed light on the preparation of more comprehensive interventions and policies for social workers.Keywords: Job satisfactionpsychological wellbeingmeaning in lifespiritual orientationsocial worksocial workers Disclosure statementThe authors report there are no competing interests to declare.Ethics approvalThe study was performed in line with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration Guideline. Bingol University Social and Human Sciences Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee (15.11.2021) approved the research [Approval Number:33117789/044/38261].Additional informationFundingThe authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work.