Date of Award
Spring 1983
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Education
First Advisor
Tagatz, Glenn E.
Second Advisor
Topetzes, Nick
Third Advisor
Zaffrann, Ronald T.
Abstract
In recent years there have been increasing numbers of registered nurses returning to college, who find themselves in the simultaneous roles of mother, employee, student and homemaker. As a result, women find themselves experiencing much role strain. Thus, the major question of this study is to identify what characteristics are specifically related to role strain in BSN Completion students. To answer this question there are two major thrusts of this study: to develop and test a research model that identifies individual characteristics which are expected to predict and explain role strain; and to develop a valid and reliable role strain inventory to be integrated into the research model. Subjects for this study were 86 RN students who volunteered from the BSN Completion program at the Medical College of Wisconsin. The model included 13 predictor variables, which utilized eight subscales of the Comrey Personality Scales, four subscales of the Career Concerns Inventory, and marital status of the student. The instrument used to measure the criterion variable, role strain, was the Lengacher Role Strain Inventory, developed in this study. Before the role strain inventory was integrated into the research model, it was developed, piloted, and subjected to an item analysis. Analysis of the revised inventory, administered to subjects in this study resulted in a reliability estimate of .95. Fourteen hypotheses were tested to identify which variables in the model were significantly related to role strain and which variables in combination would predict role strain. Results of testing of the 14 hypotheses by use of simple and multiple stepwise correlation procedures produced rejection of all 14 null hypotheses and corresponding acceptance of the alternative hypotheses. Results of a double cross-validation procedure employed to validate the model, indicated that in subsample A, six predictors were significant, and in subsample B, 12 predictors were insignificant. Therefore, based upon these results, the predictive model was validated in its entirety, and this suggests there is validity for the individual constructs in the model, including the role strain inventory.