Predicting job satisfaction for domiciliary care assistants: the effects of emotional dissonance, emotional exhaustion, empathy, and emotional intelligence

Lock, Abigail (2014) Predicting job satisfaction for domiciliary care assistants: the effects of emotional dissonance, emotional exhaustion, empathy, and emotional intelligence. University of Gloucestershire. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Consistent with a modern research orientation toward emotions in the workplace and how they impact job satisfaction, the present study sought to expand extant literature to consider four predictors’ individual and unique impact on job satisfaction. It was anticipated that emotional dissonance (ED), emotional exhaustion (EE), empathy, and emotional intelligence (EI) would predict job satisfaction within a significant multiple regression model. The current study also aimed to fill a gap in the literature whereby the occupational group included in this study is currently under-researched. Participants were forty-two ‘Domiciliary Care Assistants’ from a medium-sized domiciliary care agency (40 females & 2 males, mean age = 36, SD = 12.99). All participants completed five questionnaires, which measured the criterion and four predictor variables. The regression model was shown to be significant with predictor variables in the model collectively and one variable individually (emotional exhaustion) able to predict job satisfaction, accounting for 23% variance. The current findings broadly draws together a small body of international research which has highlighted the significance of each of these specific predictors individually associated with job satisfaction into an innovative model. Overall, these results demonstrate pertinent cause to continue researching within this occupational group. Limitations of the current study and recommendations for future research are discussed.