Abstract
About this talk
Background: Residential childcare facilities in Japan support children with histories of abuse, neglect, and complex trauma, many of whom exhibit challenging behaviors that may place staff at risk of occupational stress and burnout. Although organizational approaches to supporting staff are increasingly recognized as important, team-based interventions in residential childcare settings remain insufficiently evaluated.
Aim: This study evaluated a five-session team-building program by examining changes in selfefficacy, occupational stress, and perceived job fit among multidisciplinary staff at a residential childcare facility.
Methods: This prospective observational study included 22 staff members (mean age 36.0±11.0 years; 81.8% female) from multiple professional roles, including childcare workers, psychologists, dietitians, and cooks. The five-session program was implemented over 10 months and was developed collaboratively with staff through self-analysis and group goal-setting exercises. The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) was administered at four time points and analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. The Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ) was administered before and after the program and analyzed using paired t-tests. Associations between changes in scores were examined using spearman's correlation coefficients. Program satisfaction and open-ended feedback were also collected through an anonymous questionnaire.
Results: GSES scores did not change significantly over time (F [2.406, 50.523] =1.462, p=.240). However, the BJSQ item assessing whether “the content of my job suits me” decreased significantly (t [21] =-3.250, p=.004, d=.69). Changes in GSES scores were negatively correlated with job autonomy (ρ=-.56), while changes in perceived job fit were associated with workplace environment, stress symptoms, and family-life satisfaction. Participants reported high satisfaction with the program (mean 4.33/5) and strong motivation to achieve their goals (mean 4.67/5). Qualitative feedback indicated perceived improvements in teamwork and communication.
Conclusion: Self-efficacy remained stable, whereas perceived job fit declined in one aspect of occupational stress assessment. This finding may reflect increased awareness or reassessment of workrelated issues rather than a straightforward deterioration in staff well-being. The findings suggest that evaluating team-based programs can provide insights into staff perceptions and organizational challenges that may not be captured by changes in individual self-efficacy alone. Supporting staff who work with children with challenging behaviors may require both individual-level approaches and organizational strategies addressing job autonomy, workplace communication, and team functioning.
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