Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T04:14:56.442Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Job satisfaction and quality of life among home care workers: a comparison of home care workers who are and who are not informal carers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 December 2010

Yueh-Ching Chou ,
Li-yeh Fu ,
Teppo Kröger  and
Chiu Ru-yan
Yueh-Ching Chou
Affiliation:
Institute of Health and Welfare Policy, Research Center for Health and Welfare Policy, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
Li-yeh Fu*
Affiliation:
Institute of Health and Welfare Policy, Research Center for Health and Welfare Policy, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
Teppo Kröger
Affiliation:
Academy Research Fellow, Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Chiu Ru-yan
Affiliation:
Department of Labor Affairs and Social Resources, Miaoli County Government, Taiwan
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Li-yeh Fu, Associate Professor, Institute of Health and Welfare Policy, Research Center for Health and Welfare Policy, National Yang-Ming University, 155, Li-Nong St., Sec.2, Peitou, Taipei, 112Taiwan. Phone: + 886-2-22390743; Fax: 886-2-22390715. Email: [email protected].
Get access

Abstract

Background: Job satisfaction and quality of life among home care workers who serve simultaneously as informal carers for their own family members have seldom been explored. This study examined how this dual role influences job satisfaction and quality of life by comparing these dual carers with home care workers who do not provide informal care. The study also explored whether the factors related to job satisfaction and quality of life between these two groups were different.

Method: Standardized self-administered questionnaires (Job Satisfaction Survey, the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) scales and various social demographic questions) were administered to the two groups of home care workers in Taiwan from March to April 2009. A total of 1,641 home care workers working in 119 non-government organizations sponsored by 23 local authorities completed and returned the questionnaires.

Results: The two groups did not differ in individual characteristics, work characteristics or job satisfaction. Analysis results indicate that the lowest mean scores for all home care workers were the domains of promotion and pay within their job satisfaction and the domain of environment within their quality of life.

Conclusions: Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant effect of unpaid caregiving in terms of quality of life but not in terms of job satisfaction. Moreover, job satisfaction and quality of life among home care workers were significantly determined by both their work conditions (e.g. travelling time, salary and length of work experience) and personal variables (e.g. age, family income and family support).

Keywords

Home careinformal carerjob satisfactoryquality of life
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 23 , Issue 5 , June 2011 , pp. 814 - 825
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arksey, H. and Moree, M. (2008). Supporting working carers: do policies in England and the Netherlands reflect ‘doulia rights?’ Health and Social Care in the Community, 1–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brough, P., O'Driscoll, M. P. and Kalliath, T. J. (2005). The ability of ‘family friendly’ organizational resources to predict work-family conflict and job and family satisfaction. Stress and Health, 21, 223–234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, Y. M., Chen, S. H., Tsai, C. Y. and Lo, L. Y. (2007). Role stress and job satisfaction for nurse specialists. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 59, 497–509.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
China Post (2009). Government's plans long-term care insurance program. 18 May 2010, retrieved from http://www.chinapost.com.tw/health/medicine/2009/02/23/197215/Govt-plans.htm.Google Scholar
Chou, Y. C., Lin, L. C., Chang, A. L. and Schalock, R. L. (2007). The quality of life of family caregivers of adults with intellectual disabilities in Taiwan. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 20, 200–210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chou, Y. C., Kröger, T. and Lee, Y. C. (2010). Predictors of job satisfaction among staff in residential settings for persons with intellectual disabilities: a comparison between three residential models. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 23, 279–289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chung, C. C. and Huang, K. Y. (2005). Job satisfaction of the child-care workers' at the private kindergartens and preschools in Tai-Chung. Journal of Cardinal Tien College of Nursing, 3, 43–59 [in Chinese].Google Scholar
Cimete, G., Gencalp, N. S. and Keskin, G. (2003). Quality of life and job satisfaction of nurses. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 18, 151–158.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Council for Economic Planning and Development (2006). Policy toward an Aging Population: A Summary, November, Taipei [in Chinese].Google Scholar
Cousins, C. R. and Tang, N. (2004). Working time and work and family conflict in the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK. Work, Employment and Society, 18, 531–549.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crown, W. H., Ahlburg, D. A. and MacAdam, M. (1995). The demographic and employment characteristics of home care aides: a comparison with nursing home aides, hospital aides and other workers. Gerontologist, 35, 162–170.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Denton, M., Zeytinoglu, I. U., Davies, S. and Lian, J. (2002). Job stress and job dissatisfaction of home care workrs in the context of health care restructuring. International Journal of Health Services, 32, 327–357.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Department of Statistics (2010). The Survey Report of Living Conditions Among Older People in 2005. Taiwan. Available at http://www.moi.gov.tw/stat/survey.aspx.Google Scholar
Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (2010). Monthly Report on Human Resources Survey, March. Executive Yuan, Taiwan. Available at http://www.dgbas.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=26902andctNode=3247); last accessed 20 May 2010.Google Scholar
Donovan, R. (1989). Work stress and job satisfaction: a study of home care workers in New York City. Home Health Care Service Quarterly, 10, 97–114.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Donovan, R., Kurzman, P. and Rotman, C. (1993). Improving the lives of home care workers: a partnership of social work and labor. Social Work, 38, 505–648.Google ScholarPubMed
Ejaz, F. K., Noelker, L. S., Menne, H. L. and Bagaka, J. G. (2008). The impact of stress and support on direct care workers’ job satisfaction. The Gerontologist, 48, 60–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Evandrou, M. and Glaser, K. (2004). Family, work and quality of life: changing economic and social roles through the life course. Ageing and Society, 24, 771–791.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fleming, G. and Taylor, B. J. (2006). Battle on the home care front: perceptions of home care workers of factors influencing staff retention in Northern Ireland. Health and Social Care in the Community, 15, 67–76.Google Scholar
Grant-Vallone, E. J. and Donaldson, S. I. (2001). Consequences of work-family conflict on employee well-being over time. Work and Stress 15, 214–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hwu, L. J., Tseng, S. M. and Yuan, S. C. (2003). Job satisfaction among nurses in a medical centre in Central Taiwan. Chung Shan Medicine Journal, 14, 315–325 [in Chinese].Google Scholar
Kröger, T. and Vuorensyrjä, M. (2007). Nordic Care Workers as Informal Carers. Presented at ESPAnet Conference, University of Vienna, Austria, 20–22 September.Google Scholar
Lin, C. C. and Tseng, M. Y. (2005). A survey of job satisfaction and its related factors among nurse aids. Journal of Long-term Care, 9, 349–360 [in Chinese].Google Scholar
Lin, C. Y. (2007). The study of supervisory functions and job satisfaction of home-care workers for the elderly. Community Development Journal, 117, 218–246 [in Chinese].Google Scholar
Locke, E. A. (1976). The nature and causes of job satisfaction. In Dunnette, M. D. (ed.), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (pp. 1297–1349). Chicago: Rand McNally.Google Scholar
Maher, J., Lindsay, J. and Franzway, S. (2008). Time, caring labour and social policy: understanding the family time economy in contemporary families. Work, Employment and Society, 22, 547–558.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ministry of Interior (2003). Care Workers in Service Training Plan. Taipei, Taiwan: Ministry of Interior.Google Scholar
Ministry of Interior, Taiwan, R. O. C. (2007). Survey Report of Home Care Services. Taipei, Taiwan: Ministry of Interior.Google Scholar
Moyle, W., Skinner, J., Rowe, G. and Gork, C. (2003). Views of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction in Australian long-term care. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 12, 168–176.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pavalko, E. K. and Henderson, K. A. (2006). Combining care work and paid work: do workplace policies make a difference? Research on Aging, 28, 359–374.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Razza, N. J. (1993). Determinants of direct-care staff turnover in group homes for individuals with mental retardation. Mental Retardation, 31, 284–291.Google ScholarPubMed
Rusli, B. N., Edimansyah, B. A. and Naing, L. (2007). Working conditions, self-perceived stress, anxiety, depression and quality of life: a structural equation modelling approach. BMC Public Health, 8, 48. Available at http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458-8-48. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-8-48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russell, H., O'Connell, P. J. and McGinnity, F. (2009). The impact of flexible working arrangements on work-life conflict and work pressure in Ireland. Gender, Work and Organization, 16, 73–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shaddock, A. J., Hill, M. and van Limbeek, C. A. H. (1998). Factors associated with burnout in workers in residential facilities for people with an intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 23, 309–318.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sherman, M. F., Gershon, R. R. M., Samar, S. M., Pearson, J. M., Canton, A N. and Damsky, M. R. (2008). Safety factors predictive of job satisfaction and job retention among home healthcare aides. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 50, 1430–1441.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spector, P. E. (1985). Measurement of human service staff satisfaction: development of the job satisfaction survey. American Journal of Community Psychology, 13, 693–713.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spector, P. E. (2004). Job Satisfaction Survey Norms: American Norms: Medical Plus Mental Health Workers. Available at: http://chuma.cas.usf.edu/~spector/scales/jssnormsmedmh.html; last accessed 4 December 2005.Google Scholar
WHO (1997). WHOQOL Measuring Quality of Life. Vision of Mental Health and Prevention of Substance Abuse. Geneva: World Health Organization.Google Scholar
Xin, B. L. (2004). Human Power of Caregivers in Long Term Care System in Taiwan. Taipei: Ministry of Interior [in Chinese].Google Scholar
Xin, C. S. (2007). A study of the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intention of home care workers – an example of Taitung County. Masters thesis, Taitung, Taiwan: Public Affairs Management, National Taitung University [in Chinese].Google Scholar
Yao, G., Chung, C. W., Yu, C. F. and Wang, J. D. (2002). Development and verification of reliability and validity of the WHOQOL-BREF Taiwan Version. Journal of the Formosan Medical Association, 101, 342–351.Google ScholarPubMed
Yao, G. K. P. and WHOQOL Taiwan version Development Group (2004). WHOQOL-BREF Taiwan Version—Development and Handbook, 2nd edn. Taipei: WHOQOL Taiwan Version Development Group.Google Scholar
Yu, Y. J., Hung, S. W., Wu, Y. K. and Tsai, L. C. (2008). Job satisfaction and quality of life among hospital nurses in the Yunlin-Chiayi Area. Journal of Nursing, 55, 29–38 [in Chinese].Google ScholarPubMed