Interpersonal Conflicts of Women in Nursing Homes: An Administrative Perspective

Authors: Weitzman P.F.¹; Weitzman E.A.²; Levkoff S.E.³

Source: Journal of Clinical Geropsychology, Volume 8, Number 2, April 2002 , pp. 139-147(9)

Publisher: Springer

Abstract:

Older women may respond to conflicts by suppressing anger. Suppressed anger is associated with depression and hypertension. Research on the everyday conflicts of community-dwelling older women has begun to emerge. Such information is not available for women in nursing homes, and is necessary for developing interventions that can help protect women in nursing homes against anger-related illness. Nursing home administrators were surveyed to evaluate women's health promotion programming in general, and the incidence of and institutional response to conflicts of women residents. About 74% of residents were women; yet, women's health promotion programs were rare (offered in 1 out of 25 facilities, or 4%). Ninety percent of administrators identified depression as the most significant women's health problem, but tended to see it as warranting medical rather than programmatic attention. Eighty percent identified strained interpersonal relationships as a significant health problem for women, requiring programmatic attention. In particular, administrators identified the need for programming to help women residents resolve conflicts with roommates and family members. Formal mechanisms for managing conflicts of residents did not exist in sample nursing homes.

Keywords: older women; women's mental health; conflict resolution; long-term care

Language: English

Document Type: Regular paper

Affiliations: 1: Department of Psychiatry, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 350 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115. Harvard Upper England Geriatric Education Center, Boston, Massachusetts; patricia_weitzman@hms.harvard.edu 2: Graduate Programs in Dispute Resolution, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts 3: Department of Psychiatry, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 350 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115. Harvard Upper England Geriatric Education Center, Boston, Massachusetts

Publication date: 2002-04-01

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• In this Subject: Neurology & Psychiatry ,  Psychology
• By this author: Weitzman P.F. ;  Weitzman E.A. ;  Levkoff S.E.

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