Professional exhaustion among caregivers in nursing homes raises the perception of residents' aggressiveness and poor quality of caregiver-resident relationship

Abstract

This study is aimed to explore whether professional exhaustion among caregivers working in nursing homes causes an increased perception of resident aggressiveness and a lower satisfaction in the relationship between the caregiver and the resident. The data were collected from a sample of 52nurses and caregivers working in retirement homes. We compared the perception of aggressiveness and relational satisfaction in 26caregivers to 26without a professional exhaustion condition, using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Yudofsky's Manifest Aggression Scale, and Wilguski's Caregiver Satisfaction Scale. The results show that caregivers with professional exhaustion have a much greater perception of resident aggressiessiveness. This perception of aggressiessiveness generates a relational dissatisfaction with the resident. Professional exhaustion is therefore associated with higher perception of aggressiveness and relational dissatisfaction.