Work-Related Quality of Life and Well-Being of Social Care Workers in the Disability Sector in Ireland.
Victoria Hogan, Martin Power, Michael Hogan and 1 others
PMID 40534309WHAT IT FOUND
Disability sector social care workers in Ireland reported very low quality of work life and well-being.
High organisational constraints and workload predicted these poor scores. Most workers considered resigning or intended to quit, signalling a severe retention risk rather than a clinical outcome.
Key findings
01The average work-related quality of life score placed workers in the lowest 10th to 20th percentile compared to UK healthcare norms.
02Organisational constraints were the strongest predictor of lower quality of work life and well-being.
03Seventy-one percent of respondents considered resigning, and 51% intended to quit their jobs.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample was recruited via convenience sampling through gatekeepers and social media, so it may not represent all social care workers in Ireland. The sample was 91% female and highly educated, which limits generalisability to male workers or those with different educational backgrounds. Data collection occurred shortly after pandemic restrictions were lifted, so COVID-19 impacts may confound the results. There is no national register of social care workers, so the response rate cannot be calculated and the sample size is unknown relative to the total workforce.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high turnover intentions as evidence that leaving the profession improves individual well-being. The study is cross-sectional and only shows that current poor working conditions are associated with thoughts of quitting, not that quitting leads to better outcomes.