Vol. 48, Special Issue I, 60–70 The Impact of Stress and Support on Direct (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Impact of Stress and Support on Direct Care Workers' Job Satisfaction
The Gerontologist, 2008
Purpose: This research applies a stress and support conceptual model to investigate the effects of background characteristics, personal and job-related stressors, and workplace support on direct care workers' (DCW) job satisfaction. Design and Methods: Researchers collected survey data from 644 DCWs in 49 long-term care (LTC) organizations. The DCWs included nurse assistants in nursing homes, resident assistants in assisted living facilities, and home care aides in home health agencies. We examined the influence of components of the LTC stress and support model on DCW job satisfaction. Initially, we ran a multiple regression analysis by entering individuallevel DCW predictors with job satisfaction as the outcome. Subsequently, we used hierarchical linear modeling to examine the influence of organizational factors on DCW job satisfaction after controlling for significant individual-level DCW variables. Results: Components of the model explained 51% of the variance in DCW job satisfaction. Background characteristics of DCWs were less important than personal stressors (e.g., depression), job-related stressors (e.g., continuing education), and social support (e.g., interactions with others) in predicting job satisfaction. Results from hierarchical linear modeling analysis showed that nursing homes compared to the two other types of LTC organizations had lower average DCW job satisfaction rates, as did organizations offering lower minimum hourly rates and those reporting turnover problems. Implications: Study findings underscore the importance of targeting both DCW-level and organizational-level factors to increase DCW job satisfaction.
Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society, 2017
Health Support Workers (HSWs) provide up to 80% of care to residents and clients in the long-term care (LTC) and home and community care (HCC) sectors but have received little research attention compared with the regulated professions. The authors explore similarities and differences in the work psychology of HSWs employed in LTC and HCC settings. Data were collected via survey from 276 LTC and 184 HCC HSWs. Descriptive statistics and path analyses were conducted. HSWs in LTC and HCC settings have significant, positive associations between organizational citizenship behaviors directed toward the organization (OCB-Os) and psychological empowerment, as well as intention to stay (ITS) and job satisfaction. For LTC sector HSWs, there are significant relationships between OCB-Os and quality of work life (QWL), ITS and work engagement, and individual performance and both job satisfaction and QWL. For the HCC sector, OCB-Os and ITS are significantly and directly related to organizational c...
Nursing research and practice, 2015
Despite an increasing literature on professional nurses' job satisfaction, job satisfaction by nonprofessional nursing care providers and, in particular, in residential long-term care facilities, is sparsely described. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the evidence on which factors (individual and organizational) are associated with job satisfaction among care aides, nurse aides, and nursing assistants, who provide the majority of direct resident care, in residential long-term care facilities. Nine online databases were searched. Two authors independently screened, and extracted data and assessed the included publications for methodological quality. Decision rules were developed a priori to draw conclusions on which factors are important to care aide job satisfaction. Forty-two publications were included. Individual factors found to be important were empowerment and autonomy. Six additional individual factors were found to be not important: age, ethnicity, g...
Journal of clinical nursing, 2018
The many negative effects of burnout have prompted researchers to better understand the factors contributing to it. The purpose of this paper is to add to this body of knowledge through the study of burnout among direct care workers (DCWs) in nursing homes (NH). Perhaps the factor most often associated with employee burnout is the level of staffing-insufficient staffing results in work overload and eventually employee burnout. A closer look at research findings suggest that there are many other factors also contributing to burnout. These range from those at the organizational level, such as availability of training and resources to individual characteristics such as self-esteem and length of employment. A self-administered survey instrument was completed by 410 DCWs working within 11 NHs in the north Texas region. Regression analyses were performed, adjusting for clustering by NH. Beta coefficients and structure coefficients are reported. Burnout was measured through three dimension...
The growing percentage of older Canadians presents challenges for health care providers in assisted living facilities (ALFs). Health care aides (HCAs) provide vital support and care to individuals who live in such facilities. Immense pressure is placed on the HCAs. Stress derives from many facets of one's life; however, work-related stress is increasingly prominent. The purpose of this descriptive, exploratory, qualitative thesis is to describe, understand, and explore the experience of work-related stress among HCAs in ALFs. Semi-structured face to face interviews with 14 participants were conducted. Four main themes emerged from the research: (a) the meaning of work-related stress; (b) genesis of work-related stress; (c) how stress affects/changes workers' lives; and (d) how HCAs cope. Research findings from this study will enable employers and service providers to identify stressors in the workplace, reduce work stress, and improve individual well-being. Further, I identi...
Determinants of staff job satisfaction of caregivers in two nursing homes in Pennsylvania
BMC health services research, 2006
Job satisfaction is important for nursing home staff and nursing home management, as it is associated with absenteeism, turnover, and quality of care. However, we know little about factors associated with job satisfaction and dissatisfaction for nursing home workers. In this investigation, we use data from 251 caregivers (i.e., Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Nurse Aides) to examine: job satisfaction scores of these caregivers and what characteristics of these caregivers are associated with job satisfaction. The data were collected from two nursing homes over a two and a half year period with five waves of data collection at six-month intervals. The Job Description Index was used to collect job satisfaction data. We find that, overall nursing home caregivers are satisfied with the work and coworkers, but are less satisfied with promotional opportunities, superiors, and compensation. From exploratory factor analysis three domains represented the data, pay, managemen...
Sources of satisfaction and stress in nursing home caregivers: preliminary results
Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1989
Sources of satisfaction and stress in nursing home caregivers: preliminary results A shidy of nursmg staff on two units of a long-term nursing faality examined their reasons for enjoying and disliking their jobs, and daily reports of positive and negative events expenenced along with their rating of the emotional intensity of those events Each of the 30 members of the nursmg staff responded to a bnef demographic questionnaire The nursing staff expressed strong positive attitudes towards their jobs They descnbed a wide range of concerns, both positive and negative, relatmg to institutional, unit management, and direct patient care issues The mean mtensities assoaated with positive and negative events at each of the areas of concern were above 7 5 on a 10-pomt scale (10 = highest intensity), with the exception of the mtensity of negative events at the pahent level (mean = 62) The intensity for positive events at the pahent level was among rt\e highest (mean=92) The difference between the two means at the patient level suggests that nursmg staff have adjusted to their work by focusmg on positive patient events and by tempermg their reaction to negative patient events 85
Employees’ eldercare demands, strain, and perceived support
Journal of Managerial Psychology, 2015
Purpose -In many countries, both the number of older people in need of care and the number of employed caregivers of elderly relatives will increase over the next decades. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which perceived organizational, supervisor, and coworker support for eldercare reduce employed caregivers' strain and weaken the relationship between eldercare demands and strain. Design/methodology/approach -Survey data were collected from 100 employed caregivers from one organization. Findings -Results showed that eldercare demands were positively related to strain, and perceived organizational eldercare support (POES) was negatively related to strain. In addition, high POES weakened the relationship between eldercare demands and strain.
Journal of occupational health, 2015
This study aimed to explore potential risk factors for work-related stress by, detailing working conditions and subjective hardship according to occupational category in health-care staff working with elderly patients. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted in 105 nursing homes for the elderly in France. Data on nursing home working conditions were collected by occupational physicians. The study population was limited to those in direct contact with the elderly, who were divided into 3 occupational groups defined by qualifications and tasks: housekeepers (HKs), nursing assistants (NAs) and nurses (Ns). Employees answered a questionnaire on their perceived working conditions and vocational training courses. Psychosocial stress was assessed with the Siegrist questionnaire. The subjects included 706 HKs, 1,565 NAs and 378 Ns, and the findings showed confusion of tasks and responsibilities in the study population. Verbal abuse by residents was reported by 60.9% of HKs (versu...
Work Stressors and the Quality of Life in Long-Term Care Units
2004
Purpose. The purpose of this work was to examine how structural factors, residents' needs for physical and psychosocial assistance, and the work stressors experienced by employees are related to the quality of life of elderly residents in long-term care. Design and Methods. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 1,194 employees and 1,079 relatives of residents in 107 residential-home units and healthcenter bed wards. Data were analyzed using multilevel modeling. Results. The majority of differences in both employees' and relatives' perceptions of residents' quality of life across units could be explained by work stressors such as time pressure. Large unit size was related to both increased time pressure among employees and reduced quality of life of residents. Implications. Long-term care units are encouraged to review their practices so that employee well-being is supported. Attention also should be focused on unit size, as small units appear better able to help employees cope with work stress, resulting in better quality of life for residents.