The relationship between job stress and urinary cytokines in healthy nurses: a cross-sectional study
Hiromi Fukuda1, Takamichi Ichinose, Tomoko Kusama
1Department of Clinical Nursing, Oita University of Nursing and Health Science, Megusuno, Oita, Japan.
Insights
Urinary levels of angiogenin (ANG) may indicate job stress in nurses. High ANG levels were found in nurses experiencing significant stress from patient life support responsibilities and physician conflicts.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Biomarkers
- Psychoneuroimmunology
Background:
- Cytokines like angiogenin (ANG) and interleukin (IL-8) are linked to depression and inflammatory conditions.
- These cytokines show potential as biomarkers for stress-related health issues.
- Nurses face significant job-related stress, impacting their well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between job-related stress and urinary levels of ANG and IL-8 in Japanese female hospital nurses.
- To explore the relationship between specific stressors and measured cytokine levels.
- To assess nurses' psychological states and compare them to general population data.
Main Methods:
- Measured urinary ANG and IL-8 levels in healthy female hospital nurses.
- Assessed job-related stress using the Nursing Stress Scale (NSS).
- Evaluated subjective psychological states using the Profile of Mood States--Short Form Japanese version (POMS-SFJ).
- Compared cytokine levels and psychological states between high- and low-stress groups for each NSS subscale.
Main Results:
- Nurses reported higher fatigue and depression scores than the general population.
- The highest stressor identified was pressure of patient life support care (PPLC).
- Nurses with high PPLC stress and conflict with physicians showed elevated urinary ANG levels.
Conclusions:
- Urinary ANG levels may serve as a biomarker for job-related stress in nurses.
- Specific stressors, such as PPLC and physician conflict, are associated with increased ANG levels.
- Findings highlight the need for interventions to mitigate job stress among nurses.
Abstract:
Cytokines such as angiogenin (ANG) and interleukin (IL-8) have been shown to be related to depressive symptoms and inflammatory diseases like coronary heart disease. They may thus be used as stress biomarkers to identify and prevent health problems. To investigate the relationship between cytokines and nurses' job-related stress, levels of urinary ANG and IL-8 were measured in healthy female hospital nurses in Japan. The level of job-related stress of the subjects was evaluated using the Nursing Stress Scale (NSS), with the participants being classified into high- or low-stress groups for each subscale according to their scores. The participants' subjective psychological states were assessed using the Profile of Mood States--Short Form Japanese version (POMS-SFJ). Urinary ANG, IL-8, and cortisol levels and subjective psychological states for two groups were compared for each NSS subscale. The fatigue and depression scores of POMS-SFJ subscales in the present study were higher than those of the general healthy Japanese population. Based on the mean score of the combined participants, nurses were experiencing the highest stress related to the pressure of having responsibility for patients' life support care (PPLC). Nurses reporting high levels of stress related to PPLC and conflict with physicians had high levels of urinary ANG. Urinary ANG levels may thus be associated with high levels of job stress.
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