Self-Care Strategies and Job-Crafting Practices Among Behavior Analysts: Do They Predict Perceptions of Work–Life Balance, Work Engagement, and Burnout?

Abstract

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) practitioners report high levels of burnout, exhibited as exhaustion and disengagement. Turnover, a stressful and costly experience for individual practitioners and the human service organizations that employ them, is a potential consequence of burnout. Work–life balance and work engagement are associated with lower burnout and lower intention to quit. Research concerning behavioral predictors of work–life balance, work engagement, and burnout—all of which are associated with turnover intentions—among ABA service providers is scant. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to explore whether and how the use of self-care strategies and job-crafting practices influences perceived levels of work–life balance, work engagement, and burnout among ABA practitioners who work in human service settings. In a sample of 826 ABA practitioners, 72% reported medium to high levels of burnout. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the use of both self-care strategies and job-crafting practices strongly predicted work–life balance, work engagement, and burnout above and beyond sociodemographic variables (gender and years of experience). Findings can inform the development of effective organizational/systems- and individual-level self-care and job-crafting interventions that support sustainable individual, organizational, and client-related outcomes. We contend that self-care and job-crafting interventions support a culture of well-being in graduate programs, training/supervision curricula, and mentor–mentee relationships.

Appendices

Appendix A: Survey Items and Scale Measures

Table 10 Sociodemographic and job-related characteristics and categories

Self-Care Assessment for Psychologists ( Dorociak et al., 2017 )

For each item, participants rated the frequency with which they engage in the stated behavior on a 7-point Likert-type scale from 1 (never) to 7 (almost always).

• 1. I cultivate professional relationships with my colleagues.

• 2. I avoid workplace isolation.

• 3. I share work-related stressors with trusted colleagues.

• 4. I share positive work experiences with colleagues.

• 5. I maintain a professional support system.

• 6. I participate in activities that promote my professional development.

• 7. I connect with organizations in my professional community that are important to me.

• 8. I take part in work-related social and community events.

• 9. I find ways to stay current in professional knowledge.

• 10. I maximize time in professional activities I enjoy.

• 11. I spend time with people whose company I enjoy.

• 12. I spend time with family or friends.

• 13. I seek out activities or people that are comforting to me.

• 14. I find ways to foster a sense of social connection and belonging in my life.

• 15. I try to be aware of my feelings and needs.

• 16. I monitor my feelings and reactions to clients.

• 17. I am mindful of triggers that increase professional stress.

• 18. I make a proactive effort to manage the challenges of my professional work.

• 19. I take breaks throughout the workday.

• 20. I take some time for relaxation each day.

• 21. I avoid overcommitment to work responsibilities.

Job Crafting Scale (Tims et al., 2012 )

For each item, participants rated the extent to which they agree with each statement on a 5-point Likert-type scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).

• 1. I try to develop my capabilities.

• 2. I try to develop myself professionally.

• 3. I try to learn new things at work.

• 4. I make sure that I use my capacities to the fullest.

• 5. I decide on my own how I do things.

• 6. I make sure that my work is mentally less intense.

• 7. I try to ensure that my work is emotionally less intense.

• 8. I manage my work so that I try to minimize contact with people whose problems affect me emotionally.

• 9. I organize my work so as to minimize contact with people whose expectations are unrealistic.

• 10. I try to ensure that I do not have to make many difficult decisions at work.

• 11. I organize my work in such a way to make sure that I do not have to concentrate for too long a period at once.

• 12. I ask my supervisor to coach me.

• 13. I ask whether my supervisor is satisfied with my work.

• 14. I look to my supervisor for inspiration.

• 15. I ask others for feedback on my job performance.

• 16. I ask colleagues for advice.

• 17. When an interesting project comes along, I offer myself proactively as project co-worker.

• 18. If there are new developments, I am one of the first to learn about them and try them out.

• 19. When there is not much to do at work, I see it as a chance to start new projects.

• 20. I regularly take on extra tasks even though I do not receive extra salary for them.

• 21. I try to make my work more challenging by examining the underlying relationships between aspects of my job.

Work/Life Balance Self-Assessment Scale ( Smeltzer et al., 2016 )

For each item, participants reported the frequency with which they experienced certain behaviors during the past 3 months using a 7-point Likert-type scale (1 = not at all, 4 = sometimes, 7 = all the time).

• 1. My job gives me energy to pursue personal activities.

• 2. My job makes personal life difficult.

• 3. I am in a better mood at work because of personal life.

• 4. My work suffers because of my personal life.

• 5. I neglect personal needs because of work.

• 6. I find it hard to work because of personal matters.

• 7. I miss personal activities because of work.

• 8. My personal life suffers because of work.

• 9. I am too tired to be effective at work.

• 10. I put personal life on hold for work.

• 11. My personal life drains me of energy for work.

• 12. I struggle to juggle work and nonwork.

• 13. Personal life gives me energy for my job.

• 14. I am happy with the amount of time for non-work activities.

• 15. I am in a better mood because of my job.

Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (Schaufeli et al., 2019 )

For each item, participants reported the frequency with which they experienced each item on a 7-point Likert-type scale (1 = never, 4 = frequently, 7 = always/every day).

• 1. At my work, I feel bursting with energy.

• 2. I am enthusiastic about my job.

• 3. I am immersed in my work.

Oldenburg Burnout Inventory ( Demerouti et al., 2010 )

For each item, participants rated the extent to which they agree with each statement on a 4-point Likert-type scale (1 = strongly disagree, 4 = strongly agree).

• 1. I always find new and interesting aspects in my work.

• 2. There are days when I feel tired before I arrive at work.

• 3. It happens more and more often that I talk about my work in a negative way.

• 4. After work I tend to need more time than in the past in order to relax and feel better.

• 5. I can tolerate the pressure of my work very well.

• 6. Lately, I tend to think less at work and do my job almost mechanically.

• 7. I find my work to be a positive challenge.

• 8. During my work, I often feel emotionally drained.

• 9. Over time, one can become disconnected from this type of work.

• 10. After working, I have enough energy for my leisure activities.

• 11. Sometimes I feel sickened by my work tasks.

• 12. After my work, I usually feel worn out and weary.

• 13. This is the only type of work that I can imagine myself doing.

• 14. Usually, I can manage the amount of my work well.

• 15. I feel more and more engaged in my work.

• 16. When I work, I usually feel energized.

Appendix B: Summary Table of Recommended Actions

Table 11 Summary table of recommended actions