Impact of the validation method on job satisfaction and motivation in nursing homes: a pilot study

The Validation Method (VM) is a specific communication method for older people with dementia. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of an introductory training course on the Bases of the Validation Method (BVM) on job satisfaction and motivation in healthcare professionals working in nursing homes (NHs) and its influence on self-efficacy, perceived personal competence, organizational commitment, attitudes toward dementia and burnout. A quasi-experimental pilot study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic (September 2020–February 2021). Participants were divided into two groups: experimental group (who did 16 hours of training on BVM), and a control group (no intervention). Assessments were made at baseline, one week and 4 months after starting the intervention through validated questionnaires to assess job satisfaction, work motivation, self-efficacy, perceived competence, organizational commitment, attitudes toward people with dementia and burnout. A paired Student’s t-test was used to check intragroup differences, and unpaired Student’s test and multilevel mixed-effects linear regression model were used to assess the impact of the intervention; Hedges’g was used to determine the effect size. The sample consisted of 31 NH professionals, assigned to an experimental group (n = 11) or a control group (n = 20). The BVM training had a positive moderate effect size on job satisfaction, work motivation, self-efficacy, perceived competence and organizational commitment (Hedges’g > 0.30). In contrast, there was a smaller effect on attitudes toward people with dementia (Hedges’g = –0.21), and a moderate negative effect on burnout (Hedges’g = –0.38). BVM training had a positive moderate effect on all variables 4 months after finishing training, except for attitudes toward dementia, for which the effect size was smaller.