The Impact of Caregivers' Stress, Workload, and Socioeconomic status on Nursing Home Residents' Perception of Quality Care

The quality of health care services received by residents in nursing homes has been classified as poor, and the diminished quality of care for these residents has been linked to such variables as the stress levels, workloads, and socioeconomic status (SES) of caregivers. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether these characteristics of caregivers have a combined significant relationship with the perceptions of the quality of care by residents of nursing homes. The study was guided by a combination of 3 theories: situational, social learning, and caregiver stress theories. Data were collected from participants in 2 nursing homes in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Sixty caregivers completed the Daily Hassle Scale Instrument questionnaire, and 52 nursing home residents, ages 65 to 85 years, completed the Observable Quality Care Instrument questionnaire. Multiple regression was used to determine if there were any relationships among the independent variables and the dependent variable. The results of the study indicated that the stress levels and the caregivers' perception of their workloads were statistically significant and negatively correlated with the perceived quality of care by the residents and contributed to 85% of the variance in perceived quality of care by the residents. SES did not have any correlation with the other 2 independent variables and did not contribute to the predictive model. The social significance of the study follows that, because greater workloads and higher stress levels of caregivers were correlated with lower perceived quality of care by residents, this result could help guide care providers and policy makers in strategies aimed at reducing workloads, lowering stress levels, providing adequate training for caregivers, and maintaining their institutional goals.