Mediation Effects of Role Clarity, Peer Support, and Inclusivity on the Association between Informational Justice and Job Satisfaction Among Child Welfare Workers

Background:

Job satisfaction among child welfare workers is critical for promoting retention and ensuring the delivery of high-quality services. While previous studies have shown that organizational justice influences job satisfaction, few have specifically examined the effects of informational justice—a subtype of organizational justice that refers to the transparency and justification of procedures and outcomes in decision-making—on job satisfaction, particularly within child welfare settings.

Previous studies have proposed multiple potential mediators linking organizational justice to workers’ attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, drawing on various justice-related theories: uncertainty management, social exchange, and group engagement theories. However, these propositions have not been yet supported by empirical evidence.

This study aims to examine the direct and indirect effects of informational justice on job satisfaction among child welfare workers through role clarity, peer support, and organizational inclusivity and compare the magnitude of these mediation effects.

Methods:

Survey data from 1,979 public child welfare workers were retrieved from the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute Comprehensive Organizational Health Assessment. Informational justice (alpha = .85), job satisfaction (alpha = .87), role clarity (alpha = .77), peer support (alpha = .93), and organizational inclusivity (alpha = .91) were measured using reliable scales. To test the proposed parallel mediation model, SPSS 27 PROCESS macro was utilized.

Results:

Informational justice was associated directly with child welfare workers’ job satisfaction in their current agencies (β = .261, p < .001). Furthermore, informational justice significantly increased role clarity (β = .559, p < .001), and role clarity directly increased job satisfaction (β = .185, p < .001). The mediation effect of role clarity was significant (β = .104, CI [.069 – .137]).

Next, informational justice significantly increased peer support within agencies (β = .265, p < .001), and then peer support increased job satisfaction (β = .221, p < .001). The mediation effect of peer support was also significant (β = .059, CI [.042 – .076]).

Last, informational justice significantly increased organizational inclusivity (β = .436, p < .001), which in turn directly increased job satisfaction (β = .174, p < .001). The mediation effect of organizational inclusivity was statistically significant (β = .076, CI [.052 – .101]).

Additionally, when comparing the magnitude of the mediation effects of three variables, the mediation effect of role clarity was statistically greater than the mediation effect on peer support (difference: β = -.045, CI [-.084 – -.004]).

Implications/Discussion:

Informational justice directly increases job satisfaction and has indirect effects through multiple mediators, including child welfare workers’ perceptions of role clarity, peer support, and organizational inclusivity. These findings suggest that job satisfaction is shaped by fairness perceptions through cognitive processes that help control uncertainty, facilitate reciprocal exchange relationships, and promote a sense of belongingness.

To promote job satisfaction, it is important to 1) develop and sustain an organizational culture that integrates informational justice and fairness; 2) encourage high-quality communication that ensures transparency and provides clear justification for decision-making processes; and 3) develop organizational structures and policies to enhance role clarity, peer support, and organizational inclusivity.