Work motivation and occupational self-efficacy belief to continue working among ageing home care nurses: a mixed methods study

Stina Wallin; Anncristine Fjellman-Wiklund; Lisbeth Fagerström

doi:10.1186/s12912-021-00780-3

Work motivation and occupational self-efficacy belief to continue working among ageing home care nurses: a mixed methods study

BMC Nurs. 2022 Jan 27;21(1):31. doi: 10.1186/s12912-021-00780-3.

Authors

Stina Wallin¹, Anncristine Fjellman-Wiklund², Lisbeth Fagerström^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Health Sciences, Åbo Akademi University, Strandgatan 2, 65101, Vaasa, Finland. stina.wallin@abo.fi.
² Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Physiotherapy, Umeå University, 901 87, Umeå, Sweden.
³ Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Health Sciences, Åbo Akademi University, Strandgatan 2, 65101, Vaasa, Finland.
⁴ Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Grønland 58, 3045, Drammen, Norway.

Abstract

Background: It is important to support ageing home care nurses (HCNs) to remain in work for longer, since the need for home care services is increasing. Personal resources such as self-efficacy belief contribute to work ability, as does work motivation. Few studies have targeted the ageing workers' self-efficacy belief to manage their final working years. This study explores ageing HCNs' work motivation, and occupational self-efficacy, i.e. belief in one's capabilities, to continue working until expected retirement age.

Methods: The design of the study is exploratory using a mixed method with a qualitative to quantitative approach. A total of 234 HCNs answered four open-ended questions from a cross-sectional survey, regarding their work motivation and self-efficacy beliefs. First, data was analysed using manifest qualitative content analysis. Next, a quantitative analysis was performed based on the results of the qualitative study, and the categories that emerged were quantitatively ranked.

Results: The open-ended questions yielded 2339 utterances. The findings showed that several categories concurrently affected both work motivation and self-efficacy belief. When they were well-functioning, they positively affected both work motivation and self-efficacy belief, and when they were insufficient, they negatively affected either or both motivation and/or belief. Meaningfulness, job satisfaction, social support, and work environmental and organizational characteristics affected work motivation most. Perceived health highly affected the self-efficacy belief to continue working until expected retirement age, as well as meaningfulness of work, support from colleagues and home care managers, and work characteristics.

Conclusions: Through highlighting the meaningfulness of work, and supporting the perceived health, the work community and leadership, both work motivation and self-efficacy belief to continue working might be facilitated among ageing HCNs. However, the still present draining workload must be handled.

Keywords: Ageing workers; Healthy ageing; Home care nurses; Mixed methods; Occupational health; Occupational self-efficacy; Personal resources; Work motivation.