Based on Bayer and Gerstein's (1988a) Bystander-Equity Model of Supervisory Helping Behavior, this study examined the relationship between characteristics of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), supervisors, workers, and the EAP referral process. These theorists suggest that individual and environmental variables interact in a dynamic fashion and that one result of this process is a management-initiated EAP referral. Specifically, it was hypothesized that managerial status, type of troubled worker, and EAP location would affect supervisors' likelihood to refer hypothetical impaired employees to an EAP.Graduate students (N = 222) were asked to imagine themselves as supervisors (upper, middle, or front-line) employed by a fictitious manufacturing firm. They were also asked to imagine that they were responsible for some hypothetical workers described in a set of scenarios. Each participant received one of three sets of scenarios (cocaine abuser, alcohol abuser, or job-impaired worker). Additionally, half of the participants were told that their EAP was corporately owned and company-based, and that the personnel were employees of the firm. The other half were told that their EAP was contracted-out to independent practitioners (i.e., not employees of the company), and that the program was community-based. Upon review of each scenario, respondents were asked to indicate their likelihood (OZ-100%) of referring a particular hypothetical employee to their fictitious EAP.Results of an ANOVA revealed no significant interactions. As expected, however, two main effects for type of substance abuse and managerial level were found. Participants were more likely to refer cocaine abusers to an EAP than alcohol or non-substance abusing hypothetical employees. Referral rates were also found to be higher for alcohol abusing workers as compared to non-substance abusers. Additionally, it was discovered that front-line managers were more likely to make referrals as contrasted with upper-level managers. There was no effect found for the location of the EAP.Based on these findings a number of theoretical explanations were offered as were empirical and programmitic implications. Limitations of this project were discussed in terms of the analogue methodology, the single dependent measure (i.e., likelihood to refer), the stimulus materials, and the sample population used. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/175075 |
| Date | January 1990 |
| Creators | Besenhofer, Richard K. |
| Contributors | Gerstein, Lawrence H. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | iii, 142 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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