Date of Conferral

7-4-2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Steven Linnville

Abstract

By 2037, annual deaths in the United States are expected to exceed 3.6 million, over 1 million more than in 2015. At the same time, the funeral service industry faces a serious staffing problem, with about 50% of funeral directors leaving the profession within 2 years. These combined challenges highlight the need to understand what contributes to job satisfaction and helps to retain these workers in this essential field. This quantitative correlational study examined whether the Big Five personality traits predict job satisfaction among funeral directors. Thus, the Big Five model of personality traits was used to guide the study. Survey data were collected from 80 participants using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory 3 and the Job Satisfaction Survey. The results of multiple linear regression analyses showed that neuroticism (B = -2.310) and agreeableness (B = -1.194) were negatively related to job satisfaction. Funeral directors who were less emotionally reactive and better able to separate work from personal life tended to be more satisfied in their jobs. Results may impact positive social change by helping the funeral industry improve how it recruits, trains, and supports its workforce to build a stable and emotionally strong group of professionals who provide respectful care for the deceased and meaningful support to grieving families.

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

 
COinS