Linking Staff Burnout to Family Members' Satisfaction in Centers for People With Intellectual Disabilities: A Service Chain Approach

Research in centers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities has somewhat neglected the relationship between workers' burnout and users' service evaluations. Two independent survey studies tested this connection. In the first study (100 centers, 714 workers, and 612 family members), results confirmed that burnout has a negative relationship with workers' perceptions of service quality. In turn, these perceptions are associated with the service quality perceptions of family members and their satisfaction with the service. In a replication sample (86 centers, 601 workers, and 819 family members), we reproduced these results and added situational constraints in the model. Both social and technical constraints correlated positively and significantly with burnout. These studies offer a view of the relationships between burnout and service quality.