Stress in nursing home aides: The impact of attitudes toward old people, perceived control, and job satisfaction

Nursing home aides provide the majority of care for the frail elderly nursing home patient. Yet, little is known about how this population experiences their work situation and which factors contribute to their job stress. The purpose of the present study was to investigate some of the factors believed to be relevant in influencing how nursing home aides\u27 experience their work situation. More specifically, the aim was to examine the impact of nursing home aides\u27 attitudes toward old people, perceived control orientation, and job satisfaction on how stressed the nursing home aides feel on their jobs. One hundred and twenty black female, full-time nurse\u27s aides, voluntarily recruited from the nursing home in which they worked, participated in this study. All of the nurse\u27s aides completed questionnaires assessing demographic information, their attitudes toward old people, control orientation, job satisfaction, social desirability, and job stress. The results revealed that the nurse\u27s aides held slightly positive attitudes toward old people, had an external control orientation, were satisfied with their jobs, responded in socially desirable ways, and reported some job stress. Nursing homes were found to significantly differ on the variables of age, salary per week, number of years workers were employed, and job stress. A blind stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that attitudes toward old people and job satisfaction were significant predictors of job stress, with job satisfaction being the best predictor. The findings from this investigation are a first step in providing insight into this understudied population and how they experience their work situation. Future research, program development, and continued educational training should focus on improving effective coping strategies to deal with stress and promoting a sense of internal control on the job. These applications can improve the care our elderly receive and in the work experience of their formal caregivers