Stress in Nursing Home Staff: A Review and a Theoretical Model

Abstract

Although many aspects of occupational stress have been investigated individually, few studies have successfully integrated different characteristics of stress. Moreover, little attention has been focused on staff stress in nursing homes. This article examines the literature on occupational stress in nursing staff and offers a comprehensive model of long-term nursing care stress. The literature review shows that a large number offactors affect occupational stress,from workplace issues such as institutional policies and residents' disabilities to the personal lives of the nursing staff. The stress in turn causes work dissatisfaction, followed by staff intent to leave, resulting in increased turnover. Staff stress also affects the individual worker in many ways. The model encompasses the antecedents, responses, and consequences of stress for individuals in an organization. The outcome variables affect the initial sources of stress and resources both at the job and at the personal levels, producing a cyclic process.