The Role of Demographic Diversity in Predicting Worker Psychological Safety

This study examined the influence of demographic diversity on case manager perceptions of psychological safety in child welfare and juvenile justice case management teams. The study was based on survey data from 82 case managers in 10 teams that were collected as part of a larger study. A series of regressions indicated that demographic diversity influenced a case manager’s psychological safety differently depending on the case manager’s characteristics. Diversity contributed to a decrease in psychological safety for non-Caucasians and an increase in psychological safety for Caucasians. Men reported an increase in psychological safety and women reported a decrease in psychological safety with greater team diversity. Finally, diversity contributed to a decrease in psychological safety for people without aggressive personalities and an increase in psychological safety for people with aggressive personalities.