MODEL EXPLICATIV PRIVIND STRESUL PARENTAL ȘI ORGANIZAȚIONAL ÎN PROFESIA DE ASISTENT MATERNAL
Keywords:
foster parents, parenting stress, organizational stress, role identity, identity theory.Abstract
The purpose of this study is to develop a comprehensive model of stress in foster care, by identifying the effect of the most salient role-identity on stress and understanding how this relationship is impacted by identity-relevant experiences and characteristics of the experiences. The aim of this theoretical study emerges from role theory, professional stress and foster care stress. The current state of knowledge regarding stress in foster care highlights the existence of parenting stress, but also refers to classifications of potential sources of stress which can arise in this profession and lead to the concept of professional stress. Thus, the proposed model begins with the identification of gaps in the scientific literature regarding the understanding of foster parents’ current needs and psychological consequences resulted from the complexity of the work tasks. From the conceptualization of the professional activity in foster care arise the roles of foster parents, professional and parent role, which lead to the concepts of parenting and organizational stress in our study. These two types of stress are integrated in the present model as components of work stress, occupational and organizational stress. The correct understanding of the type of stress a foster parent is experiencing can help child protection professionals to include these employees in suitable intervention programs, promptly identify the causes of employee turnover, and minimize the discrepancies between foster parent initial training and their professional tasks.
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