Staff Attachment Theory Essay

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

Abstract

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

These people’s exhaustion may negatively affect the care that is given to the patients. One research study delved into the childhood of the caregivers to determine if the how the caregivers bonded as a child influenced whether or not they would become exhausted. The researchers used surveys to determine that the caregivers who were less secure in their relationships with others did become exhausted when caring for patients with dementia. They recommended that staff be educated about the effects of attachment on burnout (Kokkonen, Cheston, Dallos, & Smart, 2014).

Reference

Kokkonen, T.-M., Cheston, R. I., Dallos, R., & Smart, C. A. (2014). Attachment and coping of dementia care staff: The role of staff attachment style, geriatric nursing self-efficacy, and approaches to dementia burnout. Dementia, 13(4), 544-568. doi:10.1177/