Abstract
This multi-method study investigated a sample of adult streetworkers (n = 107) in Melbourne, Australia in 2008. We contacted outdoor prostitutes through four “drop-in” centers run by not-for-profit organizations. Drug use was the over-riding common characteristic of most of these streetworkers. Using emotional labor theory as a theoretical framework, we hypothesized that individuals who worked on the streets solely to earn money to buy drugs would experience the highest levels of emotional exhaustion and the lowest levels of job satisfaction. We predicted these effects would be most evident for older drug dependent streetworkers. Content analysis of open-ended interview responses identified acting, age, and drug dependency as key themes. Moderator hierarchical regression analysis of responses to closed-ended questions with tests for mediation supported the hypotheses. It also demonstrated that older drug dependent streetworkers felt most trapped in their occupation and this sense of being locked-in was associated with emotional exhaustion but not with job satisfaction. The evidence that age and drug dependency affects the psychological outcomes associated with streetwork suggests that the efforts of police and the courts will be ineffective in dealing with people whose addiction traps them in an occupation that offers few intrinsic rewards. Decriminalization would encourage police to protect streetworkers from violence. Agencies could seek financial support to provide welfare and exit strategies.
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge James Tierney’s research assistance, the co-operation of four not-for-profit organizations and 107 streetworkers, and financial support from the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Business & Economics.
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Cregan, C., Kulik, C.T. & Salinger, D. The Effects of Age and Drug Dependency on the Emotional Exhaustion and Job Satisfaction of Adult Streetworkers in Australia. Arch Sex Behav 42, 851–861 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-0049-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-0049-x