Challenging Aggressive Behaviors Experienced by Personal Support Workers in Comparison to Home Care Workers: Relationships between Caregiver Experiences and Psychological Health
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Profile of Work Roles of PSWs and HCWs
1.2. Experiences of Aggression and Violence Among PSWs and HCWs
1.3. Need for Research Comparing Experiences of PSWs and HCWs
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Recruitment, Inclusion, and Data Collection
2.2. PSW Characteristics and Work Profile Measures
2.3. Aggressive Challenging Behaviors and Psychological Health Measures
3. Results
3.1. Demographics
3.2. Illness, Injury, and Pain Experiences
- Nine workers experienced 10 total lost time injuries.
- For the reporting period, the sample (N = 240) would have worked an estimated 30 h per week over 26 weeks (six months), which is a total of 187,200 estimated hours worked [240 × (30 × 26 weeks)].
3.3. Safety Concerns
3.4. Aggressive Challenging Behaviors
3.5. Fatigue, Depression, and Stress
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Needs Supported | Mean % Time | SD |
---|---|---|
Activities of daily living | 43.1 | 28.0 |
Medical needs | 27.6 | 29.0 |
Night time needs | 10.2 | 22.1 |
Social needs | 42.1 | 32.0 |
Behavioral needs | 35.9 | 32.2 |
Other needs | 13.3 | 24.2 |
In the Last 12 Months of Work, Have You… | PSW Yes % (n) | HCW Yes % (n) a | % Difference; Chi-Square Test b |
---|---|---|---|
Verbal Aggression | |||
Had someone cry to make you feel guilty | 29.2 (70) | 29.2 (351) | 0%; χ2 (1, N = 1459) = 0.01, p = 0.907 |
Been yelled at, shouted at, or sworn at | 50.0 (120) | 41.6 (496) | 8.4%; χ2 (1, N = 1459) = 7.13, p = 0.008 |
Had someone be verbally aggressive with you | 42.5 (102) | 34.7 (408) | 7.8%; χ2 (1, N = 1459) = 7.19, p = 0.007 |
Workplace Aggression | |||
Had a door slammed in your face | 29.6 (71) | 11.3 (135) | 18.3%; χ2 (1, N = 1459) = 56.65, p < 0.001 |
Had someone harm themselves in front of you | 14.6 (35) | 6.5 (78) | 8.1%; χ2 (1, N = 1459) = 18.80, p < 0.001 |
Been cornered, or placed in a position that was difficult to get out of | 19.6 (47) | 18.6 (223) | 1.0%; χ2 (1, N = 1459) = 0.22, p = 0.638 |
Had someone try (but fail) to hit you with something | 20.8 (50) | 9.3 (112) | 11.5%; χ2 (1, N = 1459) = 27.55, p < 0.001 |
Been threatened with a weapon other than a knife or gun | 6.7 (16) | 2.2 (26) | 4.5%; χ2 (1, N = 1459) = 14.74, p < 0.001 |
Workplace Violence | |||
Been choked | 1.3 (3) | 0.2 (3) | 1.1%; p = 0.060 d |
Been spat on or been bumped with unnecessary force c | 30.0 (72) | 9.1 (108) | 21.9%; χ2 (1, N = 1459) = 82.86, p < 0.05 |
Been spat on | 15.4 (37) | -- | -- |
Been bumped with unnecessary force | 27.5 (66) | -- | -- |
Been slapped, been pushed, grabbed, or shoved, or been bitten, kicked, or hit with a fist c | 31.3 (75) | 14.1 (168) | 17.2%; χ2 (1, N = 1459) = 44.08, p < 0.05 |
Been slapped | 13.3 (32) | -- | -- |
Been pushed, grabbed, or shoved | 27.1 (65) | -- | -- |
Been bitten, kicked, or hit with a fist | 19.2 (46) | -- | -- |
Had someone smash something in your presence or display a loss of control, or had something thrown at you or had someone threaten to throw something at you c | 42.9 (103) | 20.8 (248) | 22.1%; χ2 (1, N = 1459) = 55.92, p < 0.05 |
Had someone smash something in your presence or display a loss of control | 39.2 (94) | -- | -- |
Had something thrown at you, or had someone threaten to throw something at you | 23.3 (56) | -- | -- |
Been threatened with a knife, or had someone handle a knife near you in a threatening manner | 3.8 (9) | 1.6 (19) | 2.2%; p = 0.036 d |
Model | Fatigue a | Depression b | Stress b |
---|---|---|---|
Verbal Aggression | 5.06 (0.32) * | 0.79 (0.12) | 0.51 (0.07) |
Workplace Aggression | 4.88 (0.31) * | 0.99 (0.16) * | 0.76 (0.11) |
Workplace Violence | 3.23 (0.21) * | 0.65 (0.10) | 0.46 (0.07) |
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Share and Cite
Womack, K.N.; Alvord, T.W.; Trullinger-Dwyer, C.F.; Rice, S.P.M.; Olson, R. Challenging Aggressive Behaviors Experienced by Personal Support Workers in Comparison to Home Care Workers: Relationships between Caregiver Experiences and Psychological Health. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 5486. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17155486
Womack KN, Alvord TW, Trullinger-Dwyer CF, Rice SPM, Olson R. Challenging Aggressive Behaviors Experienced by Personal Support Workers in Comparison to Home Care Workers: Relationships between Caregiver Experiences and Psychological Health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(15):5486. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17155486
Chicago/Turabian StyleWomack, Kelsey N., Teala W. Alvord, Caitlyn F. Trullinger-Dwyer, Sean P. M. Rice, and Ryan Olson. 2020. "Challenging Aggressive Behaviors Experienced by Personal Support Workers in Comparison to Home Care Workers: Relationships between Caregiver Experiences and Psychological Health" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 15: 5486. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17155486