Demands and resources in the elderly home-care job: A qualitative study in the Italian context

Martini, Mara; Viotti, Sara; Bacci, Giulia; Edge, Clare; Converso, Daniela

Abstract

Home-care of the elderly is often neglected among the care professions, despite the fact that it can be exposed to a high level of stress due to prolonged contact with suffering and often in solitude at home.
In the theoretical framework of the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this paper aims to identify the demands and resources proper of this profession. We have carried out the template analysis of 49
interviews with both Italian and immigrant home-care workers. The results show that the relationship with the elderly and their relatives is the main source of both demands and resources, as they can be
demanding and aggressive, but also offer social support and recognition. For immigrants, the conflict between caring for the assisted elderly and their relatives in their countries is then crucial. Greater social recognition and government protection would help to balance the burden of this profession, which is carried out in private homes.

Citation

Martini, M., Viotti, S., Bacci, G., Edge, C., & Converso, D. (2024). Demands and resources in the elderly home-care job: A qualitative study in the Italian context. #Journal not on list, 31(4), 569-588. https://doi.org/10.4473/TPM31.4.9

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 1, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jan 1, 2025
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jan 23, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 24, 2025
• Journal: TPM - Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology
• Electronic ISSN: 1972-6325
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 31
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 569-588
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4473/TPM31.4.9
• Keywords: Home-care workers; Demands; Resources; Immigrant; Template analysis.