Corporate structure and administrators' job stress: the case of nursing homes

Abstract

This paper examined the relationship between the job-related stress of nursing home administrators and the structure of their work setting. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to test the hypothesis that nursing home administrators who are employed in multi-unit, corporate-owned facilities experience more job-related stress than do administrators employed in independent, free-standing organizations. The results indicated that, when controlling for other potential stressors, administrators in corporate-owned nursing homes reported more general job stress and greater role ambiguity than their counterparts in single-unit, autonomous organizations. Recommendations for management strategies and for future studies in this area are discussed.