Organizational climate and self-efficacy as predictors of staff strain in caring for dementia residents: A mediation model

• Organizational climate factors need to be targeted in aged care facilities.
• Self-efficacy mediates the organizational climate–strain in dementia carers link.
• Staff programs should target improving workplace conditions to reduce carer strain.

Purpose of the studyTo date, no research has investigated how the organizational climate of aged care influences the self-efficacy of staff in caring for residents with dementia, or, how self-efficacy is associated with the strain experienced by staff. This study sought to investigate the extent to which the self-efficacy of aged care staff mediates the association between organizational climate variables (such as autonomy, trusting and supportive workplace relations, and the recognition of competence and ability, and perceptions of workplace pressure) and staff strain.Design and methodsA cross-sectional survey design was implemented in which 255 residential aged care staff recruited across aged care facilities in Melbourne, Australia. Staff completed self-report measures of organizational climate, self-efficacy, and strains in caring for residents with dementia.ResultsIndirect effects analyses using bootstrapping indicated that self-efficacy of staff mediated the association between the organizational climate variables of autonomy, trust, support, pressure, and staff strain.ImplicationsThe findings of this study emphasize that the aged care sector needs to target organizational climate variables that enhance the self-efficacy of staff, and that this in turn, can help ameliorate the strain experienced by staff caring for residents experiencing dementia.