S. Dyer et L. Quine, PREDICTORS OF JOB-SATISFACTION AND BURNOUT AMONG THE DIRECT-CARE STAFF OF A COMMUNITY LEARNING-DISABILITY SERVICE, JARID. Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities, 11(4), 1998, pp. 320-332
This study examined occupational stress amongst direct care staff in a
n NHS community service for people with learning disabilities. A quest
ionnaire was designed to investigate which characteristics of work had
an effect on job satisfaction and burnout. Payne's (1979) model of oc
cupational stress was tested. Payne posits that stress is a function o
f the interaction between demands, supports and constraints. Empirical
support for Payne's model was found and five important demand factors
were highlighted: role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload, resid
ent characteristics and non-participation in decision-making. The resu
lts suggest that occupational stress amongst staff caring for people w
ith learning disabilities is best reduced by increasing support, since
the job is likely to remain demanding. Suggestions are made concernin
g how support may be increased.