The Role Identity of Caregivers: A Quantitative Study of Relational and Organizational Identification, Dirty Work, and the Self

Abstract

This quantitative study of paid home care workers (N=572) used an ex post facto survey design for data collection and structural equation modeling for data analysis in order to explain and predict the relationships among key identity constructs that are inherent in caregiving. The study examined the relationship between predictor variables of (1) role occupancy in caregiving, (2) relational identification within the caregiving dyad, and (3) organizational identification within the caregiving organization as these affected the criterion variable of the caregiving self. A final research question sought to understand (4) how dirty work acted as a moderating variable impacting the relationship between each of the predictor variables and the outcome variable. The outcome variable was measured using the Callero (1985) role merger scale. Predictor variables of relational identification and organizational identification were also measured using scales (Sluss et al., 2012; Mael & Ashforth, 1992). Results supported some but not all of the a priori hypotheses established prior to the research study. Findings supported the hypothesized positive relationships between 1) caregiving role occupancy and the caregiving self, 2) caregiving relational identification and the caregiving self, and 3) caregiving organizational identification and the caregiving self. The hypothesis suggesting the moderating effect of dirty caregiving tasks was partially supported, with findings indicating that higher experience in dirty caregiving tasks moderates the positive association between organizational identification and the caregiving self.