Stress in nurses working in a mental health setting

Abstract

Psychiatric nursing is assumed to be a stressful area of nursing practice. Evidence to support this assumption is limited in Malta due to the lack of research in this area. The purpose of this study was to examine occupational stress in nurses working in a specific area of mental health. The study is quantitative and has three main objectives. First, to identify the various sources of stress associated with the work of a nurse in the acute admission wards of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Psychiatric Hospital. Secondly, to measure the levels of occupational stress experienced using a recognized instrument. Thirdly, to propose recommendations in order to reduce and manage stress. Individual differences in experiences of stress are also considered. The sources of stress were measured using a modified version of The Psychiatric Nursing Stress Inventory (Sullivan 1993). The Stress Checklist (Breakwell 1990) was used to measure the levels of occupational stress experienced. Findings indicate that factors of 'patients' and 'work' were perceived as the most stressful, while factors of 'relationships' and 'peers' were the least perceived sources of stress. The male respondents had a slightly higher level of stress than the female respondents, and state registered nurses had higher levels of stress than state enrolled nurses and registered mental nurses. Married nurses showed higher levels of stress than the single ones. Occupational stress seemed to decrease with work experience. Overall, the sample of nurses was found to have low and normal levels of occupational stress.