The Role of Stress, Social Norms and Attitudes in Help-Seeking for Nurses

Aims: Explore the barriers to nurses' help-seeking for stress using the theory of planned behaviour. Background: Perceived stigma can prevent health professionals from seeking psychological help, yet few studies have explored these barriers in the nursing profession. Methods: After accounting for missing data, a total of 549 nurses were included in the final analysis. Measures included attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, intention to seek help for stress and stress experienced in the previous 12 months. Analyses tested direct and indirect pathways between help-seeking beliefs and intentions, with stress as a moderator. Results: Intention to seek help for stress was predicted by help-seeking attitudes and subjective norms. Perceived behavioural control did not predict help-seeking intentions. Attitudes and subjective norms were positively related to recent help-seeking behaviour and were mediated by current intentions to seek help. These mediated relationships were stronger in those who had experienced recent stress. Conclusions: Workplace interventions to reduce the stigma of help-seeking for stress should target both personal attitudes in nurses but also cultural norms and values that prevail within healthcare organisations.