Job demands, resources, and stress among staff in after school programs: Neighborhood characteristics influence associations in the job demands-resources model

After school programs have shown to be important for the safety and health of children. Although research has shown the influence of job stress on the performance of staff in after school programs, little is known about the sources of stress in this workforce and the extent to which neighborhood factors influence job-related stress for after school staff in urban environments. The current study sought to examine the job demands-resources model and the association of neighborhood characteristics with this model. The sample consisted of 94 park-based after school staff recruited from 30 separate parks in a large Midwestern city. Measures of job demands, job resources, and job stress were used in conjunction with the Child Opportunity Index, a measure of neighborhood opportunity. Increased job demands predicted increased job stress. Additionally, hierarchical linear modeling demonstrated that socio-economic opportunity and health opportunity influenced the association between job demands and job stress. Health opportunity influenced the association between job resources and job stress. Findings suggest that specific neighborhood characteristics may partially explain the associations between job demands, job resources, and job stress. As such, staff require adequate resources to meet job demands, within specific neighborhood contexts, to improve and sustain quality services.