Candidate Name: Leah Bourque
Program: Organizational Science​​​​​​​
Committee Chairs: Dr. Jill Yavorsky​​​​​​​
Committee Members: Dr. Anne-Kathrin Kronberg, Dr. Kendra Jason, Dr. Alyssa McGonagle
Abstract:

Home care aides provide essential support to a rapidly growing older adult population, yet their work is characterized by low wages, unstable hours, and limited benefits. Client loss, due to death, hospitalization, or transfer, is common and may add further job precarity. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study examined whether client loss predicts changes in home care aides’ financial insecurity, burnout, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions over time.

Using survey data from U.S. home care aides collected across three time points on Prolific, conditional latent growth curve models were estimated for each outcome. Results showed substantial between-person differences at baseline and little average change over time, except for a modest decline in job satisfaction. Contrary to expectations, neither time-specific nor cumulative client loss predicted within-person changes in outcomes, and loss characteristics (e.g., number of clients lost, hours lost, emotional closeness) did not moderate these relationships.

In contrast, organizational and supervisor support were consistently associated with better worker outcomes over time. Organizational support predicted lower turnover intentions, higher job satisfaction, and lower emotional exhaustion over time, while supervisor support predicted positive job satisfaction trajectories. Older workers reported higher job satisfaction and lower turnover intentions, higher wages and family income predicted lower financial insecurity, and gender minorities and people of color reported lower job satisfaction than majority counterparts. Findings suggest broader structural conditions, rather than client loss, are more central to home care aides’ well-being.