Relations between work stressors and well-being among nursing assistants in nursing homes.
OBJECTIVE
Nursing assistants undertake a variety of activities related to personal and environmental care. A review of nursing assistants' employment conditions reveals relatively low salaries, virtually no assessment or promotion system, and rarely incentives or rewards offered for excellence. This study examines nursing assistants' work stressors and their influence on nursing assistants' subjective well-being.


METHODS
The research hypotheses were: a) Personal and job characteristics affect the subjective well-being of nursing assistants; b) Work stressors are negatively related to subjective well-being; c) Differences are found in work stressors and subjective well-being between nursing assistants working with the frail elderly and those working with the totally dependent; d) Social support proves to be a moderating factor of work stressors and contributes to higher levels of subjective well-being. The sample included 198 nursing assistants from various nursing homes in northern Israel (102 working in wards for frail elderly, and 96 in wards for totally dependent elderly).


RESULTS
The main findings show that work stressors are negatively related to subjective well-being, especially role conflict and work demands.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings describe a profile of nursing assistants' characteristics in nursing homes from unique point of view regarding Israeli culture.
School of Social Work, University of Haifa, Haifa, 31905, Israel. pitzyron@research.haifa.ac.il
Pnina
P
Ron
D006801:Humans; D009728:Nursing Assistants / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009735:Nursing Homes; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*