Pattern and Sociodemographic Correlates of Job Stress among Staff in a Nigerian Psychiatric Hospital

Globalization and technological advances are associated with rapid social and economic changes which are accompanied by increased pressures in the work environment. Job stress is a hidden pandemic, especially in developing countries where it remains largely unaddressed.

The objective is to determine the pattern and sociodemographic correlates of job stress among staff in a Nigerian psychiatric hospital using the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) indicator tool.

This is a cross-sectional study conducted among 292 full-time staff who were randomly selected across hospital units. Informed consent was obtained and the study questionnaires which included a sociodemographic questionnaire and the HSE indicator tool were administered. Statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS version 22 and the level for statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.

The study sample comprised of 133 (45.5%) men and 159 (54.5%) women. The mean age was 35.03 and (SD = 7.45). A high level of stress (<20^th percentile) was found in the demands, control, and relationships domains. Sociodemographic correlates of stress in domain analysis included age, marital status, staff level, parenthood, and being a clinical worker.

This study demonstrates a high level of stress in domains of the HSE indicator among respondents. More research is needed to further examine the stress levels of hospital workers.