Relationship between Experience of Client Violence and Turnover Intention among Workers in Long-Term Care Facilities for Older Adults: Focusing on Nurses, Social Workers, and Care Workers

Abstract

To prevent discontinuity of long-term care service and guarantee the quality of care, it is important to clarify the determinants of turnover intentions of long-term care workers. They are at a higher risk of experiencing violence—including physical, emotional, and sexual—from patients or their families, possibly leading to high turnover intention. This study aims to verify how having experienced client violence affect turnover intention of long-term care workers and to suggest implications to prevent frequent turnover in long-term care field. Logistic regression analysis was conducted between groups who have experienced client violence and who have not, using 2019 Korean LTC Survey data. Results revealed that, first, there were differences in determinants of turnover intention depending on groups. Second, having experienced client violence had a different effect on turnover intention based on personal characteristics. Third, gender and occupational differences were found. Based on our results, we highlighted the need for discussions on interventions to address client violence exposure among long-term care workers.