This paper describes the development of a conceptual model concerning the relationship between the organization and utilization of staff in mental health centers, job satisfaction, and staff retention. In the rural and urban centers visited during the study, differences were found in the patterns of staff organization and utilization and in the meanings of “doing a good job.” It is hypothesized that these meanings provide the framework in which staff members interpret their own job performances or, in other words, come to feel satisfied or dissatisfied with their work. It is further suggested that these meanings mediate any direct relationship between satisfaction and retention. This model has implications for future research of rural/urban differences, job satisfaction, and staff retention in mental health centers.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.