Stress among hospital nursing staff: Its causes and effects

Abstract

This study investigated the causes and effects of nursing stress in the hospital environment. It was hypothesized that the sources and frequency of stress experienced by nursing staff were functions of the type of unit on which they worked, levels of training, trait anxiety, and sociodemographic characteristics. It was also hypothesized that high levels of stress would result in decreased job satisfaction and increased turnover among the nursing staff. Data were collected from 122 nurses on 5 patient care units of a private, general hospital using a Nursing Stress Scale developed for this study, the IPAT Anxiety Scale, the Job Description Index, and personnel records. Analysis of variance, profile analysis, and path analysis were used to analyze these data. Three major sources of stress were identified : work load, feeling inadequately prepared to meet the emotional demands of patients and their families, and death and dying. The nature of these sources as well as their pervasiveness suggest that factors inherent in the nursing role, particularly that of the registered nurse, are important determinants of stress. Differences in the frequency of stress among the units investigated suggest 2 additional factors that need to be examined in future studies: structural characteristics of units that affect the amount of role conflict and ambiguity staff experience, and personality characteristics that may attract nurses to specific units. As hypothesized, stress was found to have significant effects on job satisfaction and turnover.