Table 1 A detailed description of the survey questionnaire and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients

Individual (staff)

Sex

0 = Female

1 = Male

–

–

Age

Years

The continuous variable used in analyses

–

–

Occupation

Professional occupation

0 = Nursing assistant (no health education)

1 = Licensed practical nurse

2 = Registered nurse/social educator

–

–

Continuous health education

‘Do you have continuous education in healthcare?’

0 = Yes

1 = No

–

–

Overall health

‘How is your health in general?’

Likert scale 1–5: very good ➔ very bad

–

–

Exhaustion

HUNT (one item)

‘Do you feel exhausted/tired?’

0 = No

1 = Yes

–

–

Psychological distress

SCL (5 items)

‘Have you been bothered by any of these the past 14 days?’ E.g. feeling hopeless about the future, worrying too much about things.

Likert scale 1–4: not bothered ➔ very bothered

Mean score cut-off ≥2.0

0 = No psychological distress

1 = Psychological distress (≥ 2.0)

0.88

0.86

Quality of childhood

HUNT (one item)

‘When you think about your childhood, would you describe it as …’

Likert scale 1–5: very good ➔ very difficult

–

–

Job satisfaction

‘How satisfied are you with your job in general?’

Likert scale 1–5: very satisfied ➔ very unsatisfied

–

–

Intention to leave

‘During the past 12 months, have you considered leaving your job?’

0 = No

1 = Yes

–

–

Attitudes

ADQ – ‘Hope’ dimension (8 items)

‘Please indicate to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statements related to dementia…’ E.g., it is important with strict routines, people with dementia are very much like children, there is no hope for people with dementia.

Likert scale 1–5: strongly agree ➔ strongly disagree

Composite score 8–40 ➔ higher score = more positive ^a

0.76

0.74

Relational

Resident aggression

Malmedal (5 items)

‘How often during the past 12 months have residents…’ E.g., thrown objects at you, spat at you, pinched, beat or pulled your hair.

Likert scale 1–5: daily ➔ never

Average score ➔ higher score = less aggression ^a

0.79

0.81

Care-related conflicts

Malmedal (4 items)

‘How often during the past 12 months have it occurred conflicts between residents and staff…’ E.g., because residents refuse to eat, bathe, dress, or go to the toilet.

Likert scale 1–5: daily ➔ never

Average score ➔ higher score = less conflicts ^a

0.77

0.87

Institutional

Quantitative job demands

QPS_Nordic (4 items)

‘Is your workload irregular so that the work piles up … do you have to work overtime … is it necessary to work at a rapid pace … do you have too much to do?’

Likert scale 1–5: very seldom/never ➔ very often/always

Average score ➔ higher score = more demands

0.73

0.72

Support from manager

QPS_Nordic (3 items)

‘If needed, can you get support and help... are immediate superior willing to listen… are your work achievements appreciated by your immediate superior?’

Likert scale 1–5: very seldom/never ➔ very often/always

Average score ➔ higher score = more support ^a

0.83

0.85

Support from co-workers

QPS_Nordic (2 items)

‘If needed, can you get support and help with your work from your co-workers … are your co-workers willing to listen to your work-related problems?’

Likert scale 1–5: very seldom/never ➔ very often/always

Average score ➔ higher score = more support ^a

0.80

0.73

Facility size

Number of beds

The continuous variable used in analyses

–

–

Location of municipalities

Centrality index from 1 to 6

0 = Urban (Levels 1–2)

1 = Suburban (Levels 3–4)

2 = Rural (Levels 5–6)

–

–