The Effects of Personal Background and Occupational Stress on the QOL of Vietnamese Care Attendants Working at Medical Institutions in Taiwan

Abstract

Background: With the rapid increase in the elderly population, there is a growing demand for care attendants at medical institutions in Taiwan The rapid growth in the number of foreign care attendants is significant and the quality of care provided by these foreign care attendants is directly related to the quality of care received by elderly people. However, few studies have addressed the relationship between occupational stress and quality of life (QOL) for foreign care attendants in Taiwan. Purpose: This study explored the relations between personal background and occupational stress and QOL of Vietnamese care attendants in Taiwan. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited Vietnamese care attendants currently working at regional hospitals in Kaohsiung City and County who had worked in Taiwan for at least three months. We distributed a structured questionnaire to potential participants and collected 264 valid completed questionnaires between January and April 2010.Results: Significant statistical differences were detected in the QOL of Vietnamese care attendants of various ages and educational levels, in the number of non-work days in a month, the number of daily work hours, and the number of patients cared for. A negative correlation was found between the various levels of occupational stress and the eight dimensions of wellness for Vietnamese care attendants, indicating that higher occupational stress led to lower QOL. In addition, we developed a regression model for overall QOL (SF-36), a physical component summary (PCS) and a mental component summary (MCS). By entering the variables “workload and work procedures,” “number of daily work hours,” and “relationships with management supervisors” into our regression model, we calculated the variance for “overall QOL (SF-36),” “QOL for PCS,” and “QOL for MCS” to be 44.9%, 38.3%, and 41.7%, respectively. Conclusions: Higher levels of occupational stress led to a lower QOL for Vietnamese care attendants. Of all the factors, “workload and work procedures,” “number of daily work hours,” and “relationships with management supervisors” wielded the greatest influence on QOL.