Upplevd stress hos vårdpersonal inom kommunal äldrevård

Abstract

The level of self-reported stress in adults is thought to be strongly influenced by perceived lifestress and the ability and strategies to cope with such stressful situations have been shown to function as a buffer against stress. Moreover previous research has shown a negative correlation between age and perceived stress, suggesting that through life, we learn how to handle stressful situations better. In times when the working population gradually becomes older, gaining more understanding about perceived stress and age should be imperative. This relation was therefore analyzed in a sample of 88 nursing staff, working within the public elderly care in a Swedish county, showing a significant difference in perceived stress between the younger and older age groups. However compared to earlier studies made on samples from different professions, a contradicting result was obtained, with age correlating positively with perceived stress, where older nursing staff was found to be significantly more stressed than their younger colleagues. Further analysis was done on a smaller sample of assisting nurses, which was split into two groups according to line of work; family care home staff (N = 41) and nursing home staff (N = 29), showing a statistically significant difference in perceived stress between the two groups, where nurses working in family care homes were significantly less stressed than their colleagues employed in nursing homes. The implications of these observations for better understanding of age and stress among employees in elderly care are further discussed.