Job Stress and General Well-Being: A Comparative Study of Medical- Surgical and......

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

This is a lengthy article, with in depth analysis, so I shared a few paragraphs, for your review.

Job Stress and General Well-Being: A Comparative Study of Medical- Surgical and Home Care Nurses

By Salmond, Susan; Ropis, Patricia E The purposes of this study were to examine job stress among medical-surgical and home care nurses, and determine if high job stress predicted general well-being. A comparative, descriptive design was used.

"Even more alarming, Metules and Bolanger (2000) reported that suicide is among the top five causes of death among nurses - a much higher rate than the general population.

High stress leads to negative work environments that rob nurses of their spirit and passion about their job. Low job satisfaction in nurses is linked empirically to chronic absenteeism, decreased morale, reduced job performance, burnout, increased tardiness, high turnover, and substance abuse (Lancero & Gerber, 1995; Laschinger, Wong, McMahon, & Kaufmann, 1999; Lobb & Reid, 1987). Moreover, high stress affects overall quality of care. Loss of compassion for patients, and increased incidences of mistakes and on-the-job injuries are consequences of high stress levels (Aiken, Clarke, Sloane, Sochalski, & Silber, 2002; Laschinger et al., 1999; Laschinger, Finegan, Shamian, & Wilk, 2001; Lusk, 1997).

Some authors have attempted to estimate the impact of stress in terms of economic consequences. Stress has been estimated to cause half of workplace absenteeism and 40% of turnover, which is projected to cost the U.S. economy $200 - $500 billion annually (Department of Health and Human Services [DHHS], 1999; Matteson & Ivancevich, 1987; Maxon, 1999). Discussing the negative impact of psychological stress resulting from downsizing, Wright and Smye (1996) quoted an earlier estimate by Spielberger and Vagg (1991) projection the overall costs to business and industry of burned out or dispirited employees at $150 - $180 billion a year.

Job stress combined with the stress from everyday life can lead to detrimental physical and emotional outcomes for nurses and their families. This awareness has been responsible for growing attention to employee well-being. There are two common components to well- being: the actual physical health of workers and the mental, psychological, or emotional aspects of workers (Budge, Carryer, & Wood, 2003; Geiger-Brown et al., 2004; Pomaki, Maes, & Ter Doest, 2004). Well-being comprises the various work/job-related satisfactions (for example, satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction with pay, the job itself, co-workers, and supervision), as well as life/ non-work satisfaction enjoyed by individuals. There are personal and organizational consequences of well-being. Nurses' and other health care providers' experience of constant stress may affect their well- being and lead to disengagement, poor judgment, distress, and burnout. Stress and concomitant decreased well-being are contributing factors to organization inefficiency, high staff turnover, absenteeism because of sickness, decreased quality and quantity of care, increased costs of health care, and decreased job satisfaction (Abu Al Rub, 2004)

Entire article can be read here:http://www.rednova.com/news/health/279417/job_stress_and_general_wellbeing_a_comparative_study_of_medical/index.html?source=r_health

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Interesting article. When I hear and see of my fellow nurses who are on antidepressants, antianxiety, ulcer, blood pressure meds, etc. etc. I know it's true. Nursing is stressful.

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

And what about irritable bowel syndrome?

I was at a staff meeting once and a co-worker mentioned she was having problems w/ her IBS (we were a rather revealing bunch). Turned out all 14 nurses at the meeting had been DX w/ IBS.

[gr8rnpjt, RN]

And what about irritable bowel syndrome?

I was at a staff meeting once and a co-worker mentioned she was having problems w/ her IBS (we were a rather revealing bunch). Turned out all 14 nurses at the meeting had been DX w/ IBS.

Add to that: Fibromyalgia and/or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. There appears to be a high incidence of these conditions in the nursing population. In the fibromyalgia support group I used to subscribe to, I was amazed at how many nurses were present.