Microsoft Word - GJPHM-2023- psycosocial docx.edited.docx 801 GLOBAL JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH MEDICINE 2023, VOL 5, ISSUE 1 gggggglo Original Research OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AMONG NURSING STAFF AND PERCEPTION REGARDING THE WORK ENVIRONMENT: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY Shambhavi, Rajesh Kunwar & Sandeep Rai* Department of Community Medicine, T S Misra Medical College Lucknow. *Corresponding author: drsrai68@gmail.com ABSTRACT Introduction: Occupational stress has been closely linked with healthcare professionals, including Nurses. The strenuous workload in the profession not only impacts the care of the patients but also hampers their own physical and Mental health. Thus, this study aimed to study the stressors of the work environment and their impact on their overall health. Methods: An Institutional Based Cross-Sectional Study was conducted among all the nursing staff working in a tertiary hospital in Gurugram. A pre- designed and pre-tested questionnaire covering their details, socio-demographic details, perception towards the work environment and impact of the job on their psycho-social health was made. The stress level was measured by the Professional Life Stress scale given by David Fontana, The British Psychological Society and Routledge. Ltd, Leicester, England,1989. Data analysis was done in Microsoft Excel Sheet and Epi-info. Results: In this study, on the stress scale, 47.14% reported moderate stress, 38.57% mentioned that stress was a problem, and 10% reported stress as a major problem in their lives. Stress was not a problem among 4.28% of the Nursing Staff only. Among the socio-demographic variables, married nursing staff and the increasing stress score were found to be significant.(p<0.05) Conclusion: Stress was a crucial issue among 47.14 % of the nursing staff. 54.29% of people wanted more from their work environment. Thus, the stress induced due to work culture should be taken care of so that they can be physically and mentally efficient at work. Keywords: Nursing Staff, Occupational stress, coping strategy, psycho-social health, work environment 802 GLOBAL JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH MEDICINE 2023, VOL 5, ISSUE 1 gggggglo Introduction Occupational stress, also known as work- or job-related stress, refers to the process by which stressors in the work environment lead to the development of psychological, behavioural or physiological strains that result in long-term health effects.[Salih S Z, 2014] Occupational stress significantly impacts workers' health and well-being, quality of life, family life, job satisfaction, turnover, and absence from work. Nursing has always been identified as a profession with a high-stress level. They have to face and undergo a high number of potent stressors, lowering any individual's work efficiency. [Okuhara M, 2021] To meet their profession's physical and emotional demands, nurses need to be free of occupational stress and maintain good health. Occupational stress has been reported to affect job satisfaction and performance among nurses, thus compromising nursing care and placing patients' lives at risk. [Dighe SV, 2020] The nurse-population ratio in the country at present is 1:670 population with the WHO recommendation of 1:300. [ Indian Nursing Council. Nurses Registration and Tracking System] It is quite significantly challenging to ignore the factors that impact work-related stress, i.e., including long working hours, the quality of the relationships between hospital workers, quality of supervision, work environment, and high workload. In a study conducted in Delhi by Bhatia N et al., 87.4% of nurses reported occupational stress [Bhatia N, 2001], while in another study conducted in Saudi Arabia, the prevalence of occupational stress in nurses was reported 45.5%.[Al- Makhaita, 2014] Stress-related hazards at work can be divided into work content and work context. Work content includes job content; workload and work pace; working hours; and participation and control. Work context includes career development, status and pay; the worker's role in the organization (unclear role, conflicting roles); interpersonal relationships (inadequate, inconsiderate or unsupportive supervision, poor relationships with colleagues, bullying/harassment and violence, isolated or solitary work, etc.); organizational culture (poor communication, poor leadership, lack of behavioural rule, lack of clarity about organizational objectives, structures and strategies); and work-life balance.[WHO.Occupational health stress at the workplace] There is a need that we develop some norms of desirable or acceptable levels for the Nursing staff. All the stressors should be worked upon, and a positive environment should be created for the nursing staff. The nurses constitute the main pillar of support in the treatment and recovery of patients. Efforts should be made to rebuild the work environment in a positive way. Thus, this study was done to assess the psycho-social impact of occupational stress on the nursing staff of a tertiary care hospital in Gurugram, India and also to determine their perception regarding the work environment. Methods: An Institutional Based Cross-Sectional Study was conducted among all the nursing staff working in a tertiary hospital in Gurugram was conducted between October 2019- November 2019. All the nursing staff working in the hospital where the study population includes 140 Nursing Staff. 803 GLOBAL JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH MEDICINE 2023, VOL 5, ISSUE 1 gggggglo Inclusion Criteria: All the Nursing staff working in the hospital set-up who have given consent were included in the hospital. Repeated attempts were made to contact all those who were on leave or were not available at the time of data collection. Exclusion Criteria: Those who did not give their consent or were not available after repeated visits were excluded from the study Data Collection: Data Collection was done using a pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire covering their personal details, socio-demographic details, perception towards the work environment and impact of the job on their psycho-social health. Data Collection Tool: The stress level was measured by the Professional Life Stress scale given by David Fontana, The British Psychological Society and Routledge. Ltd, Leicester, England,1989. [FontanaD,1989] It had 22 questions which covered different variables like personality perception by others, optimism for life, satisfaction with self and work, adjustment to the professional environment and so on. A total score of 60 was classified as follows: a) 0–15: Stress is not a problem in life; b) 16–30: Moderate stress, which can reasonably be reduced; c) 31–45: Stress is clearly a problem and needs remedial action; d) 46–60: Stress is a major problem, and something must be done. Informed consent was obtained from all the participants. Statistical Analysis: Statistical analysis was done in Microsoft Excel Sheet and Epi-info. Univariate analysis was done, and p- the value was calculated <0.05. Ethical Approval was obtained from the Institutional Ethical Committee. Results: Among the 140 Nursing Staff, they were in the age group of 25-36 years, and the majority were in the young age group of 18-25 years (77.14%). Most of the nursing staff recruited were females (74.29%). The working experience of the maximum nursing staff interviewed was less than 1 year (47.14%), and mostly married nursing staff were recruited in the hospital at that time span with income between Rs. 30,000 – Rs. 60000. (57.14%). Table 1: Socio-demographic details of the Nursing Staff(n =140) Variables N (%) 1. Age 18-25 Years 108 (77.14%) 26- 35 years 32 (22.85%) 2. Gender Females 104(74.29%) Males 36 (25.71%) 3. Working experience 804 GLOBAL JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH MEDICINE 2023, VOL 5, ISSUE 1 gggggglo <1 year 66 (47.14%) 1-3 years 36 (25.71%) 3-5 years 28 (20%) >5 years 10(7.14%) 4. Marital status Married 80(57.14%) Unmarried 60(42.85%) 5. Income <30,000 22(15.71%) 30,000 – 60,000 82(58.57%) > 60,000 38( 27.14%) Table 1 shows that among the 140 Nursing Staff, they were in the age group of 25-36 years, and the majority were in the young age group of 18-25 years (77.14%). Most of the nursing staff recruited were females (74.29%). The working experience of the maximum nursing staff interviewed was less than 1 year (47.14%), and mostly married nursing staff were recruited in the hospital at that time span with income between Rs. 30,000 – Rs. 60000. (57.14%). 805 GLOBAL JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH MEDICINE 2023, VOL 5, ISSUE 1 gggggglo Table 2: Bivariate analysis showing an association between Socio-demographic variables and stress scale VARIABLES STRESS SCORE Total ( N=140) p-value; (<0.05) Chi- Square(X2) 0-15 16-30 31-45 Age N (%) N (%) N (%) p=0.2360; X2= 2.89 18-25 14 (12.96%) 44 (40.75%) 50 (46.29%) 108(100%) 26-35 8(25 %) 10(31.25%) 14(43.75%) 32(100%) Gender p=0.001 X2= 17.5307 Female 14(14.86%) 22(31.20%) 68(57.94%) 104(100%) Male 6(5.14%) 20(10.80%) 10(20.06%) 36(100)%) Working Experience p=0.566809 X2 = 4.822 <1 year 26( 26.40%) 30(27.34%) 10(12.26%) 66(100%0) 1-3 years 14(14.40%) 16(14.91%) 6(6.69%) 36(100%) 3-5 years 12( 11.20%) 10( 11.60%) 6(5.20%) 8(100%) >5 years 4( 4.00%) 2(4.14%) 4(1.86%) 10(100%) Marital Status p=O.002053 X2= 12.3773 Married 18(11.43%) 20(18.29%) 42(50.29%) 80(100%) Unmarried 2 (5.04%) 12(13.71%) 46(37.71%) 60(100%) Income p= 0.55511 X2 = 3.0162 <30,000 4(5.97%) 6(7.23%) 12(8.80%) 22(10%) 30,000-60,000 24(22.26%) 26(26.94%) 32(32.80%) 82(100%) >60,000 10(9.77%) 14(11.83%) 12 (14.40%) 36(100%) 806 GLOBAL JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH MEDICINE 2023, VOL 5, ISSUE 1 gggggglo Table 2 depicts that among all the socio-demographic factors, the association between stress levels among females was more in comparison to males in this study. Hence, it came out to be statistically significant. (p