Role Conflict and Turnover Intention among Chinese Social Workers: The Roles of Emotional Exhaustion and Job Autonomy

Abstract This study aims to investigate the association between role conflict and turnover intention, as well as mediating role of emotional exhaustion and moderating effects of job autonomy on turnover intention among social workers in mainland China. Data from the China Social Work Longitudinal Study 2019 (n = 5,611) is included in the final analyses, and structural equation modeling is adopted to confirm the factor structure. The empirical results indicate that role conflict is positively associated with turnover intention, whereas emotional exhaustion plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between role conflict and turnover intention. In addition, job autonomy plays a negative moderating role in the first half of the path of role conflict on turnover intention. Suggestions and implications for practice are explored. Since social workers are viewed as critical agents of change in the area of social service provision, findings support the need for and occupational environment that promotes job autonomy and prevents burnout. Future studies are suggested to examine how turnover intention is formulated and developed in organizational contexts of social work and other human helping professions and to design relevant interventions and programs for this population.