Abstract
The objective of this study was to examine the construct validity and reliability of the Nursing Stress Indicator (NSI) and to identify differences between occupational stressors of professional and enrolled nurses. A cross-sectional survey design was used. A sample of professional nurses (N = 980) and enrolled and auxiliary nurses (N = 800) in South Africa was used. The NSI was developed as measuring instrument and administrated together with a biographical questionnaire. Five reliable stress factors, namely Patient Care, Job Demands, Lack of Support, Staff Issues, and Overtime were extracted. The most severe stressors for nurses included health risks posed by contact with patients, lack of recognition and insufficient staff. Watching patients suffer, demands of patients and staff issues were also severe stressors for professional nurses. The severity of stressors was higher for professional nurses (compared with enrolled and auxiliary nurses). Organisations that employ nurses should implement programmes to monitor and manage stress, specifically regarding staff issues and job demands.
Highlights
IntroductionA stable and productive health service is of vital importance to any country
Background and problem statementA stable and productive health service is of vital importance to any country
29 Curationis May 2006 nurses) obtained a higher score on stress because of disagreement with medical practitioners or colleagues concerning the treatment of a patient. It was the aim of this study to determine the reliability and construct validity of the Nursing Stress Indicator (NSI) and to identify the occupational stressors for nurses
Summary
A stable and productive health service is of vital importance to any country. This includes the nursing profession which comprises by far the greatest component of this service section. Stress as a phenomenon gained recognition in the nursing environment because of the data from patients and em pirical studies by researchers that suggested that stress and health are closely linked. Nurses are seen to have more stress than most people due to the nature of the job and the system within which they work (Bond, 1986). It is important to determine the stressors endemic to nursing in South Africa. In South A frica, nurses face various problems (Hartley, 2005). Staff shortages often force nursing staff to do work outside their job definitions - often without appropriate training or remuneration. Overworked staff face the trauma and stress of increasing num bers of HIV/AIDS patients
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