Nurses and Stress
Although stress prevalent among nurses is considered to be of workplace or home-origin, attributions of these stressors may differ between hospital and non-hospital nurses. Since it is currently unclear whether there are significant differences in sociodemographic and occupational characteristics between hospital and non-hospital nurses that may affect the type and magnitude of stressors and subsequent stress status, this study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of stress and to determine the prevalence of stress among hospital and non-hospital female nurses in Malaysia. It aims to compare the role of sociodemographic characteristics, occupational profile, workplace stressors, and home stressors in determining stress status.
This cross-sectional study was conducted using a
conducted among 715 randomly selected female nurses in Malaysia using a pencil and paper self-report questionnaire.
Results.
The majority of the participants were married (87.0%), had children (76.2%) and worked in a hospital. (64.8%)
Although the level of stressors due to home was generally similar between hospital and non-hospital nurses, hospital nurses were significantly more aware of higher levels of stressors in the workplace.Shift work was significantly associated with higher levels of home and workplace stressors among both groups of nurses, and stress levels were significantly higher among hospital nurses. Both home and workplace stressors explained about 40 percent of the stress status of both hospital and non-hospital nurses.
In conclusion, working as a nurse accounted for about 40% of the total stress attributed to home and work, and nurses working in hospitals were found to have higher stress levels. However, institutions that have shift work, such as night and day shifts, are more likely to accumulate stress in the same way.
Muhamad Robat, R., Mohd Fauzi, M., Mat Saruan, N. et al. Why so stressed? A comparative study on stressors and stress between hospital and non-hospital BMC Nurs 20, 2 (2021). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-020-00511-0
Summary
The conclusion of the study was similar to the conclusion that nurses are prone to accumulate stress, but since the study design was based on questionnaire responses, the involvement of bias cannot be denied. However, since the study design was based on questionnaire responses, bias could not be ruled out. However, this study was conducted in Malaysia, and there are studies with similar conclusions even when the environment is different in other regions. However, there are studies with similar conclusions even in different regions and environments.
As a review, here are some of the areas where nurses feel stressed
Shift work
Exposure to coworkers, nursing tasks, infectious diseases, understaffing, and long hours in the workplace
Problems at home
Family problems. This tendency is even stronger if the workplace is a "hospital", so I think it is important to know that this is one of the qualifications for a harsh working environment, although there have been reports in the news of nurses applying for retirement.
