Spiritual Support Staff Influence Stress Among Hospital-Based Health Care Personnel: A Cross-Sectional Study
Teresa Rangel1, Rose Timmerman2, Dawn Bock3
1Providence Health and Services, Renton, WA, USA.
Western Journal of Nursing Research
|April 24, 2024
Summary
Occupational stress among health care personnel may be reduced by the perceived availability of spiritual support staff. Hospital administrators should prioritize spiritual care services to support staff well-being.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Healthcare Management
- Psychology
Background:
- Healthcare professionals experience significant occupational stress, exacerbated by events like the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Spiritual support staff are utilized by some health systems to mitigate work-related stressors.
- The impact of perceived spiritual care availability on healthcare personnel stress remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between perceived stress and the availability of spiritual support among acute care healthcare personnel.
- To identify factors influencing perceived stress in healthcare workers.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional survey data from 1352 interdisciplinary healthcare staff in a US Catholic health system.
- Data collected between February and April 2022.
- Bivariate tests and multivariate linear regression analyses were employed.
Main Results:
- High stress levels were prevalent in the surveyed healthcare personnel.
- Perceived availability of spiritual support staff was independently associated with lower stress.
- Seeking coworker and professional support also influenced stress levels.
Conclusions:
- The perceived availability of spiritual support staff may influence occupational stress in healthcare personnel.
- Hospital administrators should ensure the availability of spiritual support staff to mitigate stress.
- Further research is needed on spirituality-based strategies to reduce stress and enhance well-being.
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