Exploring the role of psychological need fulfilment on stress, job satisfaction and turnover intention in support staff working in inpatient mental health hospitals in the NHS: a self-determination theory perspective

BACKGROUND

Meeting psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness as described by Self-Determination Theory (SDT) has been associated with increased well-being and job satisfaction in mental health staff and improved care outcomes for patients.

AIMS

The study investigated whether psychological need satisfaction predicted stress, turnover intention and job satisfaction in health care assistants (HCA) working in inpatient mental health hospitals in the United Kingdom including full time (FT) and temporary agency worker (TAW) staff.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey explored need satisfaction between FT (n = 63) and TAW (n = 39) staff using the Work-Related Basic Need Satisfaction Scale. Multiple regression was used to explore whether satisfaction of the needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness predicted scores on measures of stress, job satisfaction and turnover intention.

RESULTS

Results were comparable between FT and TAW staff. Autonomy was the need least satisfied, a need which predicted self-reported job satisfaction, stress and turnover intention. Relatedness also predicted job satisfaction and turnover intention.

CONCLUSIONS

Recommendations are made to explore experiences of (and barriers to) autonomy and relatedness in inpatient HCA staff to target and improve autonomy and relatedness in this workforce. Implications of doing so are considered at a staffing, organisational and patient level.

A Person-Centered Representation of Basic Need Satisfaction Balance at Work

Abstract. This study examines how a global overarching need satisfaction construct, together with three specific dimensions (autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs satisfaction) combine within different profiles of workers among two independent samples ( n = 1,419 and n = 677). In addition, this research investigates the role of job demands and resources in the prediction of profile membership, and documents the relation between these profiles and maladaptive outcomes (anxiety and physical fatigue). The results revealed four distinct profiles. Job resources (e.g., participation, organizational support, and work scheduling autonomy) predicted an increased likelihood of membership in the normative profile in both samples. The globally dissatisfied yet moderately autonomous profile was also associated with the highest anxiety levels relative to all other profiles.

Is Social Support Always Related to Stress Reduction in Nursing Home Residents? A Study in Leisure Contexts

The current study examined the main and interaction effects of leisure self-determination and two leisure social support types (emotional and instrumental) on stress in nursing home residents. A total of 139 nursing home residents (mean age = 79.4 years) in Taichung City, Taiwan, were recruited. Data were collected using face-to-face surveys, which included measures of leisure self-determination, leisure emotional support, leisure instrumental support, and stress. Data were analyzed using a hierarchical regression analysis. Results indicated that leisure self-determination and leisure emotional support were significantly and negatively correlated with stress, whereas leisure instrumental support was not. Moreover, higher levels of leisure instrumental support decreased the relationship between leisure self-determination and stress reduction. Therefore, enhancing levels of leisure self-determination and leisure emotional support appears to be an effective means of reducing stress in nursing home residents. However, providing excessive leisure instrumental support to nursing home residents should be avoided. [Res Gerontol Nurs. 2018; 11(4):174-180.].

Occupational Therapy Interventions Supporting Social Participation and Leisure Engagement for Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review

This systematic review examines the evidence for the effectiveness of interventions within the scope of occupational therapy that address leisure engagement and social participation among community-dwelling older adults. Eleven Level I, 1 Level II, 1 Level III, and 1 Level IV studies met inclusion criteria. Included articles addressed two themes: interventions supporting social participation and interventions supporting leisure engagement. Strong evidence supports leisure education interventions to enhance leisure engagement, and moderate evidence supports chronic disease self-management programs to support leisure engagement. Mixed evidence exists for community-based group interventions and electronic gaming to support social participation. Routine use of leisure education and chronic disease self-management programs to enhance leisure engagement and selective use of community-based groups and electronic gaming to support social participation are recommended.

Recovery Camp: Assisting consumers toward enhanced self-determination

Mental health consumers are often socially isolated and may lack the basic leisure competencies which serve as a critical building block for community (re)integration. Therapeutic recreation (TR), as a treatment modality for people with mental illness, is yet to be fully embraced in the Australian health-care setting, despite having a strong historical foundation in North America. A team of academics created a TR experience, termed Recovery Camp, which was designed to collectively engage consumers and future health professionals drawn from a range of discipline areas. The 2014 Recovery Camp was staged over a five day period and involved 28 adult consumers living with mental illness. Consumers undertook a diverse range of experiential recreation activities engineered to facilitate individual engagement and to encourage the development of positive therapeutic relationships and teamwork. The camp atmosphere was deliberately community-based and recovery-oriented, valuing the lived experience of mental illness. Using a 2 × 3 design involving a camp and comparison group, the study sought to examine the influence of a TR programme on the self-determination of individuals with a mental illness. Those who participated in the Recovery Camp reported an increase in awareness of self and perceived choice post-camp, relative to the comparison group. While this difference remained significant for awareness of self at three-month follow-up, there was no significant difference in perceived choice between the two groups at follow-up. Study findings serve to support the role of recreation within a recovery framework to positively change the health-related behaviour of mental health consumers.

Influence of Leisure Competence and Level of Leisure Activity on Life Satisfaction in Low-Income Older Adults in Rural South Korea

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationships among leisure competence, level of leisure activity, and life satisfaction in low-income older adults in rural South Korea. A sample of 137 older adults answered the study questionnaire, and significant differences in leisure competence were noted depending on age, religion, and perceived health status as well as level of leisure activity based on perceived health status and type of leisure activities. There were also notable differences in life satisfaction regarding religion and perceived health status, and a correlation among leisure competence, level of leisure activity, and life satisfaction; the influencing power of leisure competence and level of leisure activity on life satisfaction was 47%. The findings suggest that enhancement of older adults' leisure competence may increase participation in leisure activities. [Res Gerontol Nurs. 2017; 10(2):67-75.].

Leisure education reduces stress among older adults

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study were to examine whether a leisure education program could facilitate leisure competence among older adults and whether it could also reduce their stress.

METHODS

A pre-test-post-test randomized experimental design was conducted. Subjects were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 30) or a control group (n = 30). A leisure education program was used to serve as the intervention. A day before this experiment was carried out, pre-test data were collected using leisure competence and stress scales. Thirty minutes after this experiment ended, post-test data were collected using the same scales. These data were analyzed using an analysis of covariance.

RESULTS

The results indicated that the average post-test scores of leisure competence in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group and that the average post-test scores of stress in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group.

CONCLUSION

Healthcare practitioners should adopt the provision of leisure education as a priority to facilitate leisure competence and reduce stress among older adults.

Effects of leisure education on self-rated health among older adults

This study examined whether a leisure education program could promote leisure autonomy and self-rated health (SRH) among older adults. A pretest-posttest randomized experimental design was conducted. Subjects were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 30) or a control group (n = 30). Data related to leisure autonomy and SRH were collected shortly before and after the experiment. Pretest and posttest data were analyzed using an analysis of covariance. The results indicated that the average posttest scores of leisure autonomy and SRH in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group. Implications of the results are discussed.

Materialism and well-being among Chinese college students: The mediating role of basic psychological need satisfaction

Based on self-determination theory, this study explored the potential mediating role of basic psychological need satisfaction in the relationship between materialism and well-being among Chinese college students. The results showed that basic psychological need satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between materialism and life satisfaction and fully mediated the relationships among materialism and emotional well-being, subjective vitality, and self-actualization. The findings indicated the importance of considering both subjective and psychological well-being and the interpretative power of basic psychological need satisfaction and Chinese culture in the flow from materialism to well-being.