Top

Published in:

01-09-2007 | Original Paper

Eldercare Volunteers and Employees: Predicting Caregiver Experiences from Service Motives and Sense of Community

Authors: Joseph R. Ferrari, Theresa Luhrs, Victoria Lyman

Published in: Journal of Prevention | Issue 5/2007

Abstract

Volunteers (n = 52) and eldercare employees (n = 160) completed measures of personal motives, sense of community, and satisfaction and stress from assisting the elderly. Caregiver satisfaction was best predicted for volunteers by feelings of reciprocal responsibility to peers. For employees, satisfaction was predicted by strong motives reflecting one’s personal values, heightening self-esteem, gaining an understanding of the elderly, and a need to socialize with others. Caregiver stress for volunteers was predicted by motives of low self-esteem, high needs for protection from similar illness, and a desire toward enhancing one’s personal career goals. For employees, stress was predicted by low levels of reciprocal responsibility and a desire for protection. Results suggest that eldercare satisfaction and stress are predicted by different variables for volunteer and employees requiring different program development for recruitment and retention. Editors’ Strategic Implications: The findings have implications for the way elder care administrators prevent worker and volunteer turnover and thus promote client welfare. Measures of personal motivation and community connection may be relevant to other prevention settings as well.

Bishop, P. D., Chertok, F., & Jason, L. A. (1997). Measuring sense of community: Beyond local boundaries. Journal of Primary Prevention, 18, 193–212.CrossRef

Bishop, P. D., Jason, L. A., Ferrari, J. R., & Cheng-Fang, H. (1998). A survival analysis of communal-living, self-help, addiction recovery participants. American Journal of Community Psychology, 26, 803–821.PubMedCrossRef

Bowman, H. W., & Ferrari, J. R. (2003). In the service of others: Functions, management, and recruitment of volunteers at Southern Cross Care of Tasmania. Technical report submitted to SCC (Tas), Tasmania, Australia.

Brannon, D., Zinn, J. S., Mor, V., & Davis, J. (2002). An exploration of job, organizational, environmental factors associated with high and low nursing assistant turnover. Gerontologist, 42, 159–168.PubMed

Bristow, M. J., & Ferrari, J. R. (2005). Employee status, satisfaction, and stress: Examining a sense of community and caregiver experience among Australian eldercare staff. Networks: Australian Community Psychology Journal, 17, 16–22.

Burroughs, S. M., & Eby, L. T. (1998). Psychological sense of community at work: A measurement and explanatory framework. Journal of Community Psychology, 26, 509–532.CrossRef

Catano, V. M., Pretty, G. M., Southwell, R. R., & Cole, G. K. (1993). Sense of community and union participation. Psychological Reports, 72, 333–334.

Choi, L. H. (2003). Factors affecting volunteerism among older adults. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 22, 179–196.CrossRef

Clary, E. G., Snyder, M., & Ridge, R. (1992). Volunteers’ motivations: A functional strategy for the recruitment, placement, and retention of volunteers. Non-Profit Management and Leadership, 2, 349–354.

Clary, E. G., Snyder, M., Ridge, R. D., Copeland, J., Stukas, A. A., Haugen, J., et al. (1998). Understanding and assessing the motivations of volunteers: A functional approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1516–1530.PubMedCrossRef

Clipp, E. C., & George, L. K. (1990). Caregiver needs and patterns of social support. Journal of Gerontology, 45, S102–S111.PubMed

Cohen, B. H. (2001). Explaining psychological statistics (2nd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Curtis, M. P., Sales, A. E. B., Sullivan, J. H., Gray, S. L., & Hedrick, S. C. (2005). Satisfaction with care among community residential care residents. Journal of Aging and Health, 17, 3–27.PubMedCrossRef

Ferrari, J. R. (2004). Comparing volunteers and temporary eldercare workers on community care perceptions. Evaluation and the Health Professions, 27, 383–397.CrossRef

Ferrari, J. R., Kapoor, M., Bristow, M., & Bowman, W. H. (2006). Community elder-care in Tasmania: Examining whether caregivers believe they “make-a-difference” in an urban and rural island. Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community, 32, 115–131.PubMedCrossRef

Ferrari, J. R., Loftus, M. M., & Pesek, J. (1999). Young and older caregivers at homeless animal and human shelters: Selfish and selfless motives in helping others. Journal of Social Distress & the Homeless, 8, 37–49.CrossRef

Ferrari, J. R., McCrown, W., & Pantano, J. (1993). Experiencing satisfaction and stress as an AIDS care provider: “The AIDS caregiver” scale. Evaluation and the Health Professions, 16, 295–310.CrossRef

Gilley, D. W., McCann, J. J., Bienias, J. L., & Evans, D. A. (2005). Caregiver psychological adjustment and institutionalization of persons with Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of Aging and Health, 17, 172–189.PubMedCrossRef

Grube, J. A., & Piliavin, J. A. (2000). Role identity, organizational experiences, and volunteer performance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 1108–1119.CrossRef

Hollinger-Smith, L. (2003). It takes a village to retain quality nursing staff. Nursing Homes Long Term Care Management, 52, 52–56.

Hunter, A., & Riger, S. (1986). The meaning of community in community mental health. Journal of Community Psychology, 14, 55–71.PubMedCrossRef

Kapoor, M., & Ferrari, J. R. (2005). Psychological sense of community among eldercare volunteers: Understanding caregivers in Tasmania. Australian Journal of Volunteering, 10, 7–14.

Lambert, S. J. (1990). Processes linking work and family: A critical review and research agenda. Human Relations, 43, 239–257.CrossRef

Lambert, S. J. (2000). Added benefits: The link between work-life benefits and organizational citizenship behavior. Academy of Management Journal, 43, 801–815.CrossRef

Lowenthal, M., & Haven, C. (1968). Interaction and adaptation: Intimacy as a critical variable. American Sociological Review, 33, 20–30.PubMedCrossRef

Neufeld, A., & Harrison, M. J. (1995). Reciprocity and social support in caregivers’ relationships: Variations and consequences. Qualitative Health Research, 5, 348–365.CrossRef

Okun, M. A., & Michel, J. (2006). Sense of community and being a volunteer among the young-old. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 25, 173–188.CrossRef

Omoto, A. M., & Malsch, A. M. (2005). Psychological sense of community: Conceptual issues and connections to volunteerism-related activism. In A. M. Omoto (Ed.), Processes of community change and social action (pp. 83–103). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Omoto, A. M., & Snyder, M. (1995). Sustained helping without obligation: Motivation, longevity of service, and perceived attitude change among AIDS volunteers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 671–686.PubMedCrossRef

Omoto, A. M., & Snyder, M. (2002). Considerations of community: The context and process of volunteerism. American Behavioral Scientist, 45, 846–867.CrossRef

Omoto, A. M., Snyder, M., & Martino, S. C. (2000). Volunteerism and the life course: Investigating age-related agendas for action. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 22, 181–197.

Reynolds, W. M. (1982). Development of reliable and valid short forms of the Marlow-Crowne social desirability scale. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 38, 119–125.CrossRef

Sanchez, B., & Ferrari, J. R. (2005). Mentoring relationships of eldercare staff in Australia: Influence on service motives, sense of community, and caregiver experiences. Journal of Community Psychology, 33, 245–252.CrossRef

Sherwood, P. R., Given, C. W., Given, B. A., & von Eye, A. (2005). Caregiver burden and depressive symptoms. Journal of Aging and Health, 17, 125–147.PubMedCrossRef

Snyder, M., & Omoto, A. M. (2001). Basic research and practical problems: Volunteerism and the psychology of individual and collective action. In W. Wosinska, R. B. Cialdini, D. W. Barrett, & J. Reykowski (Eds.), The practice of social influence in multiple cultures (pp. 287–307). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Sorensen, S., Pinquart, M., & Duberstein, P. (2002). How effective are interventions with caregivers? An updated meta-analysis. Gerontologist, 42, 356–372.PubMed

Swisher, J. D., Scherer, J., & Yin, R. K. (2004). Cost-benefit estimates in prevention research. Journal of Primary Prevention, 25, 137–148.CrossRef

Tilden, V. P., & Gaylen, R. D. (1987). Cost and conflict: The darker side of social support. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 9, 9–18.PubMedCrossRef

Yberma, J. F., Kuijer, R. G., Hagedoorn, M., & Buunk, B. P. (2002). Caregiver burnout among intimate partners of patients with a severe illness: An equity perspective. Personal Relationships, 9, 73–88.CrossRef

Zainuddin, J., & Arokiasamy, J. T. (2003). Caregiving burden is associated with short rather than long duration of care for older persons. Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, 15, 88–93.PubMed

Title: Eldercare Volunteers and Employees: Predicting Caregiver Experiences from Service Motives and Sense of Community
Authors: Joseph R. Ferrari
Theresa Luhrs
Victoria Lyman
Publication date: 01-09-2007
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Prevention / Issue 5/2007
Print ISSN: 2731-5533
Electronic ISSN: 2731-5541
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-007-0108-6

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Eldercare Volunteers and Employees: Predicting Caregiver Experiences from Service Motives and Sense of Community

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 5/2007

We Now Return to Our Regularly Scheduled Program

Special Issue: Prevention and Social Justice

Using Correlational Evidence to Select Youth for Prevention Programming

Research Partnerships with Schools to Implement Prevention Programs for Mexican Origin Families

The Impact of Project Northland on Selected MMPI-A Problem Behavior Scales