Impact longitudinal du soutien du superviseur sur l’adaptation émotionnelle des intervenants en protection de la jeunesse exposés à une agression commise par un usager

While performing their mandate, child protection workers (CPWs) are exposed to numerous occupational hazards. One such hazard is the psychological abuse and physical hostility directed at them by service users. Since many families view a CPW’s involvement in their lives as an unwelcome intrusion, CPWs frequently find themselves needing to de-escalate tense situations, some of which devolve into abusive acts. Over time, these emotionally charged encounters can interfere with CPW health and wellbeing. This thesis aims to further our current understanding of how CPWs cope in the aftermath of abusive acts perpetrated upon them by service users in the work setting. The thesis project opens with a comprehensive overview of the current scientific literature on the topic, followed by three scientific articles—two qualitative and one quantitative—that contribute much-needed information on the experience of at-risk CPWs. The first thesis article—a thematic analysis of 30 CPWs’ experiences—then provides an overview of the abusive acts that are directed at CPWs in the workplace. Specifically, it describes the various forms of hostility or abuse the CPWs experience, along with their subjective perception of it and the coping strategies they employ. This first article highlights more specifically how service-user hostility is a constant concern for CPWs, whether they practice in the community or in residential treatment centers. CPWs draw upon a variety of positive coping methods as adjustment strategies, such as teamwork and supervisor support; and sometimes employ harmful coping strategies, such as denial and minimization, in order to keep fulfilling their mandate. The author reveals that feeling “safe” whilst being confronted with repeated acts of aggression proves a constant struggle for CPWs, who often report high levels of distress and few sources of organizational support. Findings from the first article suggest that CPW distress sometimes leads to their mishandling tense situations. In consideration of this, the main objective of the second article was to study the interrelationship between emotional distress and revictimization. Using cross-lagged panel analysis, this second article reveals that the emotional distress reported by 173 CPWs subsequent to a potentially traumatic workplace event can in fact be linked to higher rates of revictimization when dealing with service users up to two months later, but not six or twelve months later. This suggests that CPWs are particularly at risk of hostile acts recurring after a recent distressing event in their work setting. Although supervisor support can be correlated with lower levels of emotional distress after a potentially traumatic event, this variable does not moderate the relationship between emotional distress and revictimization, suggesting that its influence is more complex than previously described. Mixed results from the second article motivated a more thorough analysis of the CPWs who seek support from their supervisors after having suffered an abusive encounter with a service user. The last article consists of a qualitative longitudinal study of the lived realities of 30 CPWs who had recently been subjected to an act of aggression. Findings reveal that the quality of the supervisor/CPW relationship greatly influences how CPWs manage their distress and how they seek out and perceive support from their supervisors. Indeed, when CPWs have a strong and open relationship with their supervisors, they express emotions more freely and are more open to involving their supervisors in their adjustment efforts which, in turn, leads to more favorable outcomes (e.g., less emotional distress, greater professional growth, meaning-making). To the contrary, when the supervisor/CPW relationship is perceived as poor, CPWs have low expectations and choose to manage the distress on their own—which sometimes translates into their opting for strategies which may lead to greater emotional distress over time, such as minimization or denial. The thesis closes with a discussion on how the availability and quality of personal and organizational resources—such as supervisor support—greatly influence the adjustment capacity of CPWs when facing abusive encounters with service users. In fact, CPWs may not be able to rely on their supervisors when in need, either due to the poor quality of the relationship or due to other factors such as time constraints resulting from excessive workloads. This places additional pressure on CPWs who must find alternative strategies to manage distress on their own—which sometimes means more frequent recourse to ineffective coping strategies. Using Job Demands and Resources Theory (Demerouti et al., 2001), this thesis concludes by explaining how the organizational context can constrain and shape the way CPWs choose to adapt. Indeed, adaptation does not solely depend on workers or their supervisors, but also on the resources made available by their employer. Unfortunately, this thesis also describes how organisational resources are often insufficient to counteract the effects of job demands, such as repeated aggression. Still, this thesis recommends several avenues that could help organizations to provide CPWs with more effective support by eliminating some constraints that promote ineffective coping strategies and by increasing both the availability and the quality of resources that encourage the adoption of more effective coping strategies.

Keyphrases: Trauma, Job-demand resources model, Child protection, Workplace violence, Occupational health and safety