Determining job satisfaction and job stress levels of nurses during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: A cross-sectional survey

Abstract

This study aims to determine the job satisfaction and job stress experienced by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. This descriptive study was conducted with 129 nurses working in a pandemic hospital in a province in eastern Turkey. This study was carried out between June 2021 and January 2022, after obtaining ethical committee approval. "Nurse Information Form", "Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ)", and "Perceived Job Stress Scale (PJSS)" was used to collect the data. The data were collected by the researchers using the online data collection method. Besides descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency), Mann-Whitney U Test, Kruskal Wallis-H Test, and Spearman’s Correlation Analysis were used in the data assessment, and significance was evaluated at the level of p <0.05. It was found that the mean scores of the nurses were 3.07±0.82 for overall MSQ, 2.17±0.35 for the subscale of Intrinsic Satisfaction and 2.10±0.46 for the subscale of Extrinsic Satisfaction. They obtained a total mean score of 3.27±0.82 from the Perceived Job Stress Scale. A significant negative correlation was found between job satisfaction and job stress experienced by the nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was found that during the pandemic, the nurses had a high level of job stress and a moderate level of job satisfaction. As their job stress increased, their job satisfaction decreased. In line with these results, attention should be paid to the mental status of nurses, and job stress management training should be given to obtain job satisfaction and reduce job stress.