The Impact of Stress and Support on Nursing Assistant Satisfaction With Supervision

This research applies a stress-and-social-support conceptual model to investigate the effects of personal and facility characteristics, job-related and personal stressors, and social support in the workplace on nursing assistant (NA) satisfaction with supervision. Survey data are from in-person interviews with 338 NAs employed at 22 skilled nursing facilities. Structural equation modeling was used to determine the model's goodness of fit. Results show that personal stressors (family, financial, and health concerns) have the greatest impact on satisfaction with supervision. Positive support in the workplace attenuated the effects of job-related stressors on the outcome. Findings suggest NAs'personal stressors require careful attention from supervisory and human resources staff because they directly affect worker satisfaction with supervision. Employee Assistance Programs and training for supervisors in team building, communication, and motivational skills are needed to promote more positive relationships with and among NAs.