WELL-BEING IN EMOTIONALLY DEMANDING WORK CONTEXTS: THE ROLE OF RELATIONSHIPS WITH RESIDENTS FOR CAREGIVERS IN LONG-TERM HEALTHCARE

Objective: This study examines how relationships with residents mediate the impact of job resources (autonomy, organizational support) and job demands (workload) on caregivers’ well-being in long-term healthcare (LTC), using the Job Demands-Resources and Conservation of Resources theories. Methods: Repeated cross-sectional survey data from 1316 caregivers in 13 LTC facilities located in northern Italy are analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Results: Relationships with residents partially mediate the link between job characteristics and caregivers’ well-being, while the hypothesized interactions between workload and job resources in predicting relationship quality were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Relationships with residents are crucial for caregivers’ well-being in LTC, a sector suffering from skills shortage and societal issues in caring for fragile citizens. Managerial implications and generalization for other emotionally demanding sectors are debated.