Skip to main content
Log in

Personality and Communication Skills as Predictors of Hospice Nurse Performance

  • Published:
Journal of Business and Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Based on a detailed job analysis, job-related personality dimensions and communication skills were used as predictors of hospice nurse performance. In particular, it was predicted that communication/social competence and certain dimensions of empathy (empathic concern, perspective-taking) would be positively related to hospice nurse performance, and that another type of empathy, personal distress, and trait dogmatism would be negatively associated with performance. Ninety-two hospice nurses were administered the battery of tests, and “file drawer” assessments of their performance were obtained. Possession of communication/social competence and certain dimensions of empathy led to good prediction of job performance. Implications for personnel screening and selection are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Amenta, M.M. (1984). Traits of hospice nurses compared with those who work in traditional settings. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 40, 414–420.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barrick, M.R., & Mount, M.K. (1991). The Big Five personality dimensions and job performance: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 44, 1–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barrick, M.R., & Mount, M.K. (1993). Autonomy as a moderator of the relationship between the Big Five personality dimensions and job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 111–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brockopp, D.Y., King, D.B., & Hamilton, J.E. (1991). The dying patient: A comparative study of nurse caregiver characteristics. Death Studies, 15, 245–258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa, P.T., & McCrae, R.R. (1985). The NEO Personality Inventory manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, M.H. (1980). A multidimensional approach to individual differences in empathy. JSAS Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 10, 85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, M.H. (1983). Measuring individual differences in empathy: Evidence for a multidimensional approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 113–126.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hogan, R. (1969). Development of an empathy scale. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 33, 307–316.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hough, L.M., Eaton, N.K., Dunnette, M.D., Kamp, J.D., & McCloy, R.A. (1990). Criterionrelated validities of personality constructs and the effect of response distortion on those validities. Journal of Applied Psychology, 75, 581–595.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hough, L.M., & Schneider, R.J. (1996). Personality traits, taxonomies, and applications in organizations. In K.R. Murphy (Ed.), Individual differences and behavior in organizations (pp. 31–88). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hull, M.M. (1991). Hospice nurses: Caring support for caregiving families. Cancer Nursing, 14, 63–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lafer, B. (1989). Predicting performance and persistence in hospice volunteers. Psychological Reports, 65, 467–472.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mehrabian, A., & Epstein, N.A. (1972). A measure of emotional empathy. Journal of Personality, 40, 525–543.

    Google Scholar 

  • Munley, S.A. (1985). Sources of hospice staff stress and how to cope with it. Nursing Clinics of North America, 20, 343–355.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petrosino, B.M. (1985). Characteristics of hospice patients, primary caregivers and nursing care problems: Foundations for future research. The Hospice Journal, 1, 3–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reisetter, K.H., & Thomas, B. (1986). Nursing care of the dying: Its relationship to selected nurse characteristics. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 23 39–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riggio, R.E. (1986). Assessment of basic social skills. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 649–660.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riggio, R.E. (1989). Manual for the Social Skills Inventory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riggio, R.E. (in press). Manual for the Social Skills Inventory. (2nd ed.). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

  • Riggio, R.E., Messamer, J., & Throckmorton, B. (1991). Social and academic intelligence: Conceptually distinct but overlapping constructs. Personality and Individual Differences, 12, 695–702.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riggio, R.E., Tucker, J., & Coffaro, D. (1989). Social skills and empathy. Personality and Individual Differences, 10, 93–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riordan, R.J., & Saltzer, S.K. (1992). Burnout prevention among health care providers working with the terminally ill: A literature review. Omega, 25, 17–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, I.T., & Kinder, A. (1993). Personality and job competencies: The criterion related validity of some personality variables. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 66, 225–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rokeach, M. (1960). The open and closed mind. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tett, R.P., Jackson, D.N., & Rothstein, M. (1991). Personality measures as predictors of job performance: A meta-analytic review. Personnel Psychology, 44, 703–742.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tucker, J.S., & Riggio, R.E. (1988). The role of social skills in encoding posed and spontaneous facial expressions. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 12 87–97.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Riggio, R.E., Taylor, S.J. Personality and Communication Skills as Predictors of Hospice Nurse Performance. Journal of Business and Psychology 15, 351–359 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007832320795

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007832320795

Keywords

Navigation