A descriptive study on immigrant workers in the elderly care sector

J Immigr Minor Health. 2010 Oct;12(5):699-706. doi: 10.1007/s10903-009-9257-4.

Abstract

The present descriptive study seeks to explore the differences in terms of psychosocial work characteristics and health & well-being indicators among Danes, Western and Non-western immigrants working in the elderly care sector; and to identify differences in the association patterns between these psychosocial work characteristics and health & well-being across these three groups. The study was based on a large-scale survey of the elderly care sector in Denmark with 78% response rate. Results show that Non-western immigrants had more depression symptoms, poorer quality of sleep and more client-related burnout than their Western immigrants and Danish colleagues. All in all, the associations between psychosocial work characteristics and health and well-being were much stronger among Danes than among immigrant workers and particularly weak among Non-western immigrants.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Burnout, Professional
  • Denmark
  • Depression / ethnology
  • Emigrants and Immigrants / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Health Services for the Aged*
  • Health Status*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Quality of Life
  • Sleep Wake Disorders / ethnology
  • United States
  • Workforce
  • Workload
  • Young Adult