Predictors of job satisfaction of licensed social workers: Perceived efficacy as a mediator of the relationship between workload and job satisfaction

A cross sectional design was used to examine job satisfaction of licensed social workers. Self-administered surveys were mailed to a random sample of 500 licensed social workers in Maryland. Two hundred and thirty-two surveys were returned for a 46.4% response rate. Perceived quality of supervision and perceived workload were predictive of job satisfaction in a multiple regression analysis. Results from a second multiple regression analysis indicated that perceived efficacy mediates the relationship between perceived workload and job satisfaction. This mediation effect suggests that the concept of workload is more complex than what has been reported in previous research. Additional implications for social work are discussed.