Caregivers' predispositions and perceived organizational expectations for the provision of social support to nursing home residents.

This article presents the results of an investigation of caregivers' provision of supportive communication to nursing home residents. Five primary conclusions are drawn from the data: (a) Caregivers value providing affective over instrumental support; (b) caregivers believe they place more importance on supportive communication than their organizations; (c) role conflict is emotionally exhausting, but does not affect caregivers' self-evaluations or perceptions of residents; (d) caregivers' depersonalization of patients is related to their desire to communicate instrumental support; and (e) caregivers feel more accomplished when they believe their organization values supportive communication with patients. The implications of these findings for social support, caregivers' burnout, and nursing homes are discussed.