Stress and its Associated Risk Factors among Health Workers in University Teaching Hospital (Uch), Ibadan

Abstract

The health workers experience a harsh physical and psychologically exhaustive work process, with high and complicated demands and long work journeys; they work in shifts, with a work burden motivated by the insufficient number of professionals to attend to the overcrowded services. Therefore, the study examine stress and it’s associated risk factors among health workers in University Teaching Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. The study adopted a descriptive research design survey in which a total of two hundred health workers in University Teaching Hospital (UCH), Ibadan were selected using simple random sampling technique. Two research questions and two hypotheses were tested using descriptive and inferential statistics at 0.05 level of significant. The findings of the showed that the level of stress among health workers is high (X=3.46 > 3.00), associated risk factors among health workers is low (X=1.15 < 1.50) and perceived effects of stress among health workers is low (X=2.85 < 3.00). There is significant negative relationship between stress and risk factors among health workers in University Teaching Hospital (UCH), Ibadan; r (198) = -.226 p <0.05 and there was significant difference of stress and risk factors among health workers in University Teaching Hospital (UCH), Ibadan based on gender (T(198)= 1.643, p<.05). It was recommended that early screening of health professional for occupational stress and its risk factors has to be given attention. Counselingcenters manned by qualified psychologists should be established with the various healthcare facilities, to help health workers cope with the stress they encounter as a result of their job demands.