RELATIVE DEPRIVATION THEORY AND CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE ANESTHETISTS (RESENTMENT).
Contributors: State University of New York at Buffalo.
Published: 1993
Number of pages: 135
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: An emerging issue of the 1980s and early 1990s is the growing shortage of generic and advanced practice nurses including Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). This problem is compounded by a more basic issue, the discontent of a large part of the nursing work force. To date, discontentment and its impact on the CRNA workforce has not been studied extensively. Nor have the antecedent factors comprising job discontent been elicited.

A correlational designed study was conducted with the stated purpose of gaining insight into feelings of grievance and gratification among CRNAs, employing Faye Crosby's theory of relative deprivation. Data were gathered by questionnaires from 272 CRNAs actively practicing in New York State.

Three hypotheses were generated to examine the relationship between feelings of deprivation and both the sociological background variables of gender, autonomy, education, and Faye Crosby's (1976) six psychological preconditions of relative deprivation (wanting, comparison other, deserving, past expectations, future expectations, and lack of self-blame).

One objective of this study was to compare differences in felt deprivation among CRNAs. A theoretical aim of this work was to examine the antecedent variables contributing to felt deprivation confirming the overall relative deprivation theory, in particular the Crosby model (1982).

A three-way analysis of variance found that of the three sociological background variables, only degree of autonomy was found to be significant in explaining felt deprivation. The higher reported autonomy level, the lower the reported deprivation score regardless of education or gender (F = 14.609 p $<$.01).

Multiple regression analysis revealed that Crosby's six psychological variables explained almost half of the variance in deprivation scores (R$\sp2$ =.4869). When both sociological and psychological variables were entered into the regression equation it was found that explained variance in deprivation was dramatically increased by the psychological variables. The two psychological variables of wanting and deserving were found as the only two significant variables at p $<$.05.

These findings confirm the overall theory of relative deprivation, and in particular the 1982 Crosby model. Results indicate the importance of frustrated wants and violated entitlements as key factors in the felt deprivations of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. Indeed these feelings of deprivation are relative, not absolute, and they are founded primarily in subjective cognitive-emotional factors more so than objective factors. This study lays the ground work for further evaluation into the practice implications of deprivation and the structural job components contributing to the cited preconditions.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-06, Section: B, page: 2993.

Thesis (D.N.S.)--STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO, 1993.

School code: 0656.