College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Term of Award

Spring 2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Public Health in Public Health Leadership (Dr.P.H.)

Document Type and Release Option

Dissertation (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Health Policy and Community Health

Committee Chair

William A. Mase

Committee Member 1

Ryan Lofaro

Committee Member 2

Robert Bohler

Abstract

This qualitative study explored how employees in Recovery Community Organizations (RCOs) in the Southern United States experience psychological safety and how these experiences shape employee well-being and their intentions to stay or leave their organizations. Guided by Edmondson’s Psychological Safety Theory and the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, the study examined how leadership practices, workplace culture, and the emotional demands of recovery support work shape employees’ perception of safety, support, and sustainability in the workforce. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 RCO employees working in various peer support roles. Thematic analysis identified five major themes: (1) leadership behaviors shape psychological safety in RCOs; (2) shared recovery identity influences workplace relationships and communication; (3) emotional labor and secondary trauma are inherent demands of recovery support work; (4) psychological safety supports emotional regulation and employee well-being; and (5) psychological safety influences employees’ intentions to stay or leave their organizations. decisions. Participants described how supportive leadership and peer relationships foster psychological safety and resilience, while emotional labor and workplace demands contribute to stress and increased risk of burnout. Findings emphasize the role of psychologically safe environments in sustaining the recovery workforce and highlight the importance of leadership practices and organizational supports that protect employee well-being in peer recovery settings. This study extends psychological safety research into recovery-oriented work environments and offers an empirically grounded conceptual model to better understand workforce experiences and retention in RCOS.

OCLC Number

1588479423

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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