The relationship between staff burnout/distress and interactions with residents in two residential homes for older people.
OBJECTIVE
The main hypothesis was that staff burnout/distress would be negatively associated with the quantity and quality of social interactions between staff and residents. The subsidiary hypothesis hypothesis was that 'perceived involvement in decision-making' among staff would be positively associated with the quantity and quality of staff-resident interactions.


METHODS
Cross-sectional and within-group. Standardized self-report questionnaires completed by staff; and non-participant, time-sampling observation and coding of staff-resident interactions. SETTING. Two independent (not-for-profit) residential care homes for older people in the UK.


METHODS
18 out of 24 residential workers completed questionnaires.


METHODS
The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12); the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI); the Perceived Involvement Personal Questionnaire (PIPQ); and the Quality of Interactions Schedule (QUIS).


RESULTS
Staff who reported higher levels of personal accomplishment (ie lower levels of burnout on the personal accomplishment subscale) exhibited significantly more staff-resident interactions; and staff who perceived more involvement in decisions relating to their work showed significantly fewer negative staff-resident interactions. Staff distress, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were not found to be significantly related to the quantity or quality of staff resident interactions.


CONCLUSIONS
The results provide some support for the hypotheses. It appears that levels of personal accomplishment and perceived involvement in decision-making among staff may significantly influence the quantity and quality of staff-resident interactions in residential settings. However, the causal relationships are uncertain, and replication of these findings is required in other contexts.
Psychology Department, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK.
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Jenkins
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Allen
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000523:psychology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000592:standards; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000592:standards; D005791:Patient Care / Q000145:classification / Q000592:standards; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D016526:Workload