title: A longitudinal study of working life among first-line managers in the care of older adults.
abstract: To study whether the number of subordinates plays a role in first-line managers' and subordinates' ratings of empowerment, stress symptoms, and leadership-management performance. The aim was also to study relationships between managers' empowerment and stress symptoms and leadership-management performance.
  
  
  
  A longitudinal and correlational design was used. All first-line managers (n=98) and their subordinates (n=2085) working in the care of older adults in five municipalities were approached.
  
  
  
  With fewer (≤30) subordinates per manager, there were higher ratings of structural empowerment among managers and subordinates and lower stress symptoms among subordinates, than with ≥31 subordinates. Furthermore, structural empowerment was related to the managers' stress symptoms and leadership-management performance, mediated through psychological empowerment. Moreover, structural empowerment can control/adjust for large numbers of subordinates in relation to stress symptoms.
  
  
  
  The higher FLMs rated their access to empowerment, the lower stress symptoms and higher leadership-management performance they rated over time.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Occupational Studies, University of Gävle, Sweden; Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden. Electronic address: heidi.hagerman@hig.se.
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hagerman
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Occupational Studies, University of Gävle, Sweden; Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Bernice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Skytt
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Barbro
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wadensten
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Occupational Studies, University of Gävle, Sweden.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Högberg
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Occupational Studies, University of Gävle, Sweden; Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Engström
mesh_terms: D000288:Administrative Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011209:Power, Psychological
keywords: First-line manager; Leadership–management performance; Number of subordinates; Stress symptoms; Structural and psychological empowerment