• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.24 no.1 s.79
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• pp.55-69
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• 2006

This study has been performed to investigate group differences and determining factors of burnout of the workers in elderly living facilities. In this study, 131 male and female workers composed of social workers, health practitioners, and other management workers were selected among 23 retirement and nursing facilities in Korea between 2003 and 2005. They were asked about their socioeconomic background, working environment, and their perceptions on burnout in the working places. As for main dimensions of the burnout, there were three elements such as emotional weariness, diminishing personal accomplishment, and depersonalized behaviors. Particularly in this study, the depersonalized behaviors were defined as aggressive or rude verbal and behavioral outbursts from anger. As a result of this study, the following results were found: Most workers have medium level of perception on their commitment and burnout, but there. are some risk factors; newly married young workers were less satisfied or fairly rewarded with their job and as a result, they have significantly higher level of emotional weariness but lower feeling of personal accomplishments. In addition, they occasionality practiced aggressive or rude behaviors such as yelling, threatening, and physically harassing As for the influence of determining variables, long-time workers of long established facilities were more satisfied and less burnout. In addition, there are some impacts of job category; health practitioners were more burnout than social workers. In this study, suggestions are made as follows: first, guiding and settlement programs should be developed for the newly started young married workers, particularly at early stage of their career. Second, future aspects of facility visions should be guided for the workers, so that they are relieved from stressful routines without any future plan. Third, medical workers such as physical therapists and nurses should be further monitored for main reasons of increasing their stress.