Job Demands, Job Resources, and Turnover Intention Among South Korean Probation Officers: Pathways Through Work-to-Family Conflict, Depressive Symptoms, and Job Satisfaction.

Abstract

Guided by the Job Demands-Resources model, this study examined how job demands and job resources were associated with turnover intention among South Korean probation officers through work-to-family conflict, depressive symptoms, and job satisfaction. This secondary analysis used probation-officer data from a broader 2024 national occupational survey covering probation and related juvenile-justice services; the analytic sample comprised 345 officers with a spouse or cohabiting partner. Structural equation modeling showed that workload burden, professional burden, and perceived physical threat were associated with greater work-to-family conflict, whereas training and development resources and safety and protection resources were associated with less conflict. Work-to-family conflict was positively associated with depressive symptoms, while relational and communication resources were negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms and perceived physical threat were associated with lower job satisfaction; training and development resources and organizational resource adequacy were associated with higher job satisfaction. Job satisfaction was negatively associated with turnover intention. Bootstrap analyses indicated that job demands and resources were linked to turnover intention through distinct indirect pathways involving work-to-family conflict, depressive symptoms, and job satisfaction. Safety-related victimization was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms or job satisfaction and showed no significant indirect association with turnover intention. These findings suggest that turnover intention reflects both demanding occupational conditions and the organizational resources available to manage them. Improving workload management, safety protection, professional development, organizational capacity, and workplace relationships may contribute to a more sustainable probation workforce.