Effects of exposure to aggressive behavior on job satisfaction of health care staff.
This study examined the effects of exposure to the aggressive and disruptive behavior of institutionalized elderly patients on health care staff's job satisfaction. Aggressive behavior was defined as physical, verbal, or general disruptive behavior. Health care staff from a geriatric long-term care hospital were interviewed about their exposure to these types of aggressive behavior and the effect of this exposure on job satisfaction. Job satisfaction was significantly correlated with overall exposure to aggressive behavior. Although physical aggression was reported more frequently, exposure to verbal aggression correlated higher with job satisfaction. Exposure to aggressive behavior was the best predictor of job satisfaction, followed by level of education. These findings indicate that job satisfaction is negatively affected by exposure to aggressive behavior but positively affected by educational level. The role of educational programs in moderating the impact of exposure to aggressive behavior on job satisfaction is discussed.
Dougherty
L M
LM
Virginia Commonwealth University-Medical College of Virginia.
Bolger
J P
JP
Preston
D G
DG
Jones
S S
SS
Payne
H C
HC
D000368:Aged; D000374:Aggression / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003625:Data Collection; D004522:Educational Status; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006783:Hospitals, State / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce