Abstract
BackgroundStress in health care professionals may reflect both the work and appraisal of work and impacts on the individuals, their patients, colleagues and managers.PurposeThe purpose of the present study is to examine physiological and psychological effects of stressors (tasks) and theory-based perceptions of work stressors within and between nurses in real time.MethodsDuring two work shifts, 100 nurses rated experienced stress, affect, fatigue, theory-based measures of work stress and nursing tasks on electronic diaries every 90 min, whereas heart rate and activity were measured continuously.ResultsHeart rate was associated with both demand and effort. Experienced stress was related to demand, control, effort and reward. Effort and reward interacted as predicted (but only within people). Results were unchanged when allowance was made for work tasks.ConclusionsReal-time appraisals were more important than actual tasks in predicting both psychological and physiological correlates of stress. At times when effort was high, perceived reward reduced stress.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12160-015-9746-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Much has been learned about stress, comparatively little work has examined how stressors are experienced and the associated physiological effects in real life
Ambulatory psychophysiological studies of stress suggest that the experience of stress or exposure to stressful real-life situations is associated with increases in heart rate and blood pressure
Between-person results show that heart rate was higher in those who appraised their work as more demanding or
Summary
Much has been learned about stress, comparatively little work has examined how stressors are experienced and the associated physiological effects in real life. Laboratory studies [1] provide excellent information about the development and recovery of physiological responses to stressors and about individual differences in response to stressors but do not address the real-life stressors that are likely to have lasting health implications. They typically investigate a single or a small number of stressors such as the mental arithmetic and public speaking involved in the widely used Trier Social Stress Test [2] and cannot simulate the complex pattern of mini-stressors occurring over time in normal life. Purpose The purpose of the present study is to examine physiological and psychological effects of stressors (tasks) and theory-based perceptions of work stressors within and between nurses in real time
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
