title: Changes in job stress and coping skills among caregivers after dementia care practitioner training.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dementia care practitioner training is essential for professional caregivers to acquire medical knowledge and care skills for dementia patients. We investigated the significance of training in stress management by evaluating caregivers' job stress and coping style before and after they have completed training.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects included 134 professional caregivers (41 men, 93 women) recruited from participants in training programmes held in Kanagawa Prefecture from August 2008 to March 2010. A survey using a brief job stress questionnaire and a coping scale was carried out before and after they completed their training. A t-test and multiple regression analysis were performed to evaluate the effects of the training.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After the training, the scores of modifiers on the job stress scale and of the coping scale increased, whereas the scores of stress reactions on the job stress scale decreased. However, there were no changes in participants' subjective cognition concerning their workplace environment. Furthermore, the change in stress reaction score tended to correlate with the change in consultation score in all participants and with the change in problem-solving and consultation in male participants. Among female participants, the change in stress reaction score tended to correlate with change in support from superiors and colleagues as modifiers. The factors that correlated to the change in stress reaction score differed between genders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings suggest that training caregivers improves their stress reaction and coping skills.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kitasato University, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Sagamihara, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takizawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan.
authors.forename: Megumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Center for Suicide Prevention, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan.
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takai
authors.affiliation: Ikeda Hospital, Nonoichi, Japan.
authors.forename: Taichiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan.
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyaoka
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: coping ability with stress; job stress; practical training; professional caregiver