The relationship between patient characteristics (dementia, other mental impairment, and a
variety of difficult behaviors) and physical health among nursing assistants working in long-term
care facilities is examined. Several sociodemographic characteristics of the worker, characteristics of the work environment, and social support were included as control variables. The
number of residents cared for with Alzheimer's disease and with other mental impairment is
empirically unrelated to any type of problem behavior. Both having more residents with gross
mental impairment and having more residents exhibiting uncooperative behavior are related to
several measures of physical health stress. Other problem behaviors related to specific indicators
of physical health are identified. Few other factors emerge as significant predictors.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Armstrong, P., & Armstrong, H. (1984). The double ghetto (2nd ed.). Toronto: McClelland Stewart.
2.
Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing. ( 1990). Key findings of the multidimensional pilot study. Adelaide, SA: Centre for Ageing Studies .
3.
Bergmann, K., Foster, E. M., Justice, A. W., & Mathews, V. (1978). Management of the demented elderly patient in the community. British Journal of Psychiatry, 132, 441-449.
4.
Berkman, L. F. (1985) The relationship of social networks and social support to morbidity and mortality. In S. Cohen & S. L. Syme (Eds.), Social support and health (pp. 241-262). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
5.
Bosch, L.H.M., & Lange, W. A. M. (1987). Shift work in health care . Ergonomics, 30, 773-791.
6.
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. ( 1991). The determinants of health (Publication No. 5. Toronto: Author.
7.
Cantor, M. H. (1983). Strain among caregivers: A study of experience in the United States. The Gerontologist, 23, 597-604.
8.
Cantor, M. H. (1988). Factors related to strain among homecare workers: A comparison of formal and informal caregivers. Paper presented at the annual meetings of the Gerontological Society of America, San Francisco, November.
9.
Carter, R. Y., Kooperman, L., & Clare, D. A. ( 1988). Importance of perceived personal values in nursing home management. Journal of Long-Term Care Administration, Summer, 10-13.
10.
Caudill, M., & Patrick, M. (1989). Nursing assistant turnover in nursing homes and need satisfaction. Journal of Gerontological Nursing , 15(6), 24-30.
11.
Chappell, N. L., & Novak, M. (1992). The role of support in alleviating stress among nursing assistants. The Gerontologist, 32(3), 351-359.
12.
Chappell, N. L. (in press). Informal support, proceedings of the Vermont Conference on the Primary Prevention of Psychopathology, promoting successful and productive aging. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
13.
Chiriboga, D. A., Weiler, P. G., & Nielsen, K. ( 1990). The stress of caregivers. In D. E. Biegel & A. Blum (Eds.), Aging and caregiving: Theory, research, and policy (pp. 121-138). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
14.
Cobb, S. (1976). Social support as a moderator of life stress (presidential address. Psychosomatic Medicine, 38, 300-314.
15.
Cohen, S., & Syme, S L. (Eds.). (1985). Social support and health . Orlando, FL: Academic Press .
16.
Dewe, P. J. (1987). Identifying the causes of nurses' stress: A survey of New Zealand nurses. Work and Stress, 1, 15-24.
17.
Diamond, T. (1988). Social policy and everyday life in nursing homes: A critical ethnography. In A. Statham, E. Miller, and H. O. Mauksch (Eds.), The worth of women's work (pp. 39-56). Albany: State University of New York Press.
18.
Diamond, T. (1992). Making gray gold: Narratives of nursing home care. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
19.
Elliott, G. R., & Eisdorfer, C. (1982). Stress and human health: Analysis and implications of research. New York: Springer.
20.
Estryn-Behar, M., Kaminski, M., Peigne, E., Bonnet, N., Vaichere, E., Gozlan, C., Azoulay, S., & Giorgi, M. (1990). Stress at work and mental health status among female hospital workers . British Journal of Industrial Medicine, 47(1), 20-28.
21.
Garland, T. N., Oyabu, N. , & Gipson, G. A. ( 1988). Stayers and leavers: A comparison of nurse assistants employed in nursing homes. Journal of Long-Term Care Administration , Winter, 23-29.
22.
George, L. K. (1987). Easing caregiver burden: The role of informal and formal supports. In R. A. Ward & S. S. Tobin (Eds.), Health in aging: Social issues and policy directions (pp.133-158). New York: Springer.
23.
Gwyther, L. P. (1989). Barriers to the appropriate use of community based services by families of persons with dementia (contract report for the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, Biological Applications. Durham, NC: Duke Aging Center.
24.
Haley, W. E. (1983). A family-behavioral approach to the treatment of the cognitively impaired elderly. The Gerontologist, 23(1), 18-20.
25.
Hare, J., Pratt, C. C., & Andrews, D. (1988). Predictors of burnout in professional and paraprofessional nurses working in hospitals and nursing homes. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 25, 105-115.
26.
Jamal, M. (1984). Job stress and job performance controversy: An empirical assessment. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 33, 1-21.
27.
Johnson, C. L., & Catalano, D. J. (1983). A longitudinal study of family supports to the impaired elderly. The Gerontologist, 23, 612-618.
28.
Kornhauser, A. (1965). Mental health of the industrial worker. New York: Wiley.
29.
Miller, D. S., & Norton, V M. (1986). Absenteeism: Nursing service's albatross. Journal of Occupational Nurses Association, 16, 38-42.
30.
Milne, D., & Watkins, F. W. (1986). An evaluation of the effects of shift rotation on nurses' stress, coping and strain. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 23, 139-146.
31.
Monat, A., & Lazarus, R. S. (1985). Stress and coping: An anthology (2nd ed.). New York: Columbia University Press.
32.
Montgomery, R.J.V (1989). Investigating caregiver burden. In K. S. Markides & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Aging, stress and health (pp. 201-218). New York: Wiley.
33.
Montgomery, R.J.V., Kosloski, K., & Borgatta, E. ( 1990). Service use and the caregiving experience: Does Alzheimer's disease make a difference? In D. E. Biegel & A. Blum (Eds.), Aging and caregiving: Theory, research, and policy (pp. 139-159). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
34.
Morris, H. H., & Snyder, R. A. (1979). A second look at need for achievement and need for autonomy as moderators of role perception-outcome relationships . Journal of Applied Psychology, 64, 173-178.
35.
Rummel, R. J., (1970). Applied factor analysis. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.
36.
Sanford, J.R.A. (1975). Tolerance of debility in elderly dependents by supporters at home: Its significance for hospital practice. British Medical Journal, 3, 471-473.
37.
Shapiro, E. (1990, May). Impact of Alzheimer's on personal care homes and home care in the next decade. Address to the Alzheimer's Society, Winnipeg , Manitoba.
38.
Taylor, R. C. (1981). Self-reports and self-estimates of health. In J. Kinnaird , J. Brotherson, & J. Williamson (Eds.), The provision of care for the elderly (pp. 200-211). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
39.
Vredenburgh, D. J., & Trinkaus, R. J. (1983). An analysis of role stress among hospital nurses. Journal of Vocational Behavior , 22(1), 82-95.
40.
Waxman, H. M., Carner, E. A., & Berkenstock, G. ( 1984). Job turnover and job satisfaction among nursing home aides. The Gerontologist, 24, 503-509.
41.
Wortman, C. B., & Conway, T. L. (1985). The role of social support in adaptation and recovery from physical illness. In S. Cohen & S. L. Syme (Eds.), Social support and health (pp. 218-302). Orlando, FL : Academic Press.
42.
Yu, L. C., & Kaltreider, D. L. (1987). Stressed nurses: Dealing with incontinent patients. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 13(1), 27-30.
