Stress causing psychosomatic illness among nurses.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Occupational Health
• Psychosomatic Medicine

Background:

• Workplace stress is a significant issue for nurses, impacting their health and job performance.
• Understanding the sources and severity of nurse stress is crucial for developing effective support strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence and extent of work-related stress among hospital nurses.
• To identify the primary contributors to nurse stress.
• To assess the incidence of stress-related psychosomatic illnesses.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire assessed stressors across work-related factors, interactions, job satisfaction, and home life.
• 106 nurses participated, completing the stressor questionnaire and a list of psychosomatic ailments.
• Stress levels were categorized as mild, moderate, severe, or burnout based on a weighted scoring system.

Main Results:

• Key stressors included unfinished tasks due to understaffing, patient relative conflicts, overtime, and inadequate pay.
• Psychosomatic symptoms such as acidity, back pain, neck/shoulder stiffness, forgetfulness, anger, and worry were significantly higher in nurses with elevated stress.
• Increased age or seniority did not correlate with reduced stress levels.

Conclusions:

• A majority of nurses experience moderate stress levels.
• The incidence of psychosomatic illness escalates with increasing stress levels.
• Healthcare organizations must implement proactive measures to address and mitigate nurse stress.