Research participation and turnover intention: An exploratory analysis of substance abuse counselors.

Clinical research is increasingly being conducted in community-based addiction treatment settings. Although the primary focus of such research is on the development of effective clinical interventions, less attention has been paid to the potential impact of these projects on counseling staff who are involved in their implementation. Such involvement may be perceived as stressful or rewarding, and these perceptions may be associated with counselors’ intention to remain in their jobs (“turnover intention”). Using data from 207 counselors involved in research projects conducted within the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN), this study examines the associations between counselors’ reactions to research experiences and turnover intention. Counselors’ turnover intentions were found to be associated with their perceptions about the research activities their organizations were involved in. Turnover intention was significantly greater whenever counselors perceived that their job demands had increased due to the research. However, turnover intention was significantly lower if counselors perceived that the research was resulting in improvements for their clients and organization.

These findings suggest that the impact of clinical trials on treatment organizations and staff members warrants continued study.