Attachment and coping of dementia care staff: The role of staff attachment style, geriatric nursing self-efficacy, and approaches to dementia in burnout

Smart, Cordet A.; Kokkonen, Taru Maija; Cheston, Richard; Dallos, Rudi

Abstract

© The Author(s) 2013. Past research suggests that dementia care staff are vulnerable to the development of burnout, which has implications for staff well-being and hence the quality of care for people with dementia. Studying personal vulnerability factors in burnout is important as it can guide staff training and support. Attachment theory suggests that adult attachment styles affect caregiving relationships and individuals’ responses to stress, providing a framework for understanding caregivers’ styles of coping. This cross-sectional survey study examined relationships between staff attachment styles, geriatric nursing self-efficacy, and approaches to dementia in burnout. Seventy-seven members of dementia care staff working on inpatient wards for older people completed self-report questionnaires. Insecure attachment, lower levels of self-efficacy, and more optimistic attitudes in staff were related to higher levels of burnout. Staff training on the role of attachment in dementia care is recommended. Further research is required to explore mediating factors between adult attachment styles and burnout.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jul 1, 2014
• Deposit Date: Jan 2, 2013
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 21, 2016
• Journal: Dementia
• Print ISSN: 1471-3012
• Electronic ISSN: 1741-2684
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 544-568
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301213479469
• Keywords: attachment, burnout, caregiving, dementia, staff
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/815301
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1471301213479469
• Additional Information: Additional Information : First published online 14 March 2013; Corporate Creators : Plymouth Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, Avon and Wiltshire Mental health Partnership trust
• Contract Date: Feb 21, 2016