Perceived Stress, Psychological Empowerment, and Social Support Among Nurses Working in Psychiatric Acute Units

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between social support and psychological empowerment with perceived stress of nurses working in psychiatric acute units. The study sample consisted of 153 nurses working in psychiatric acute units, located in Athens. Participants completed: (a) A questionnaire about demographic characteristics, (b) the Perceived Stress Scale, (c) the Psychological empowerment scale, and (d) the Social Support Questionnaire Short Form (SSQ-6). The majority of the participants were females (62.7%), graduates of Technological Education (47%), married (60.78%), permanent employees (81.7%), working in psychiatric units for over than 21 years (34.6%), with an average age of 45 years. Of the total sample, 64.7% considered the night shift as the most aggravating, with the main factors causing the greatest stress being (a) lack of staff, (b) dangerousness, and (c) workload. Women compared to men, and those who had been working for more years in a psychiatric ward compared to younger employees exhibited a statistically significant higher level of subjective stress (p < 0.05). Nurses who considered that night shifts were the most aggravating exhibited more stress, while female nurses exhibited higher levels of psychological empowerment compared to male nurses. Moreover, nurses who were scheduled to work more day shifts exhibited statistically significant high levels of psychological empowerment (p < 0.001), while psychological empowerment was positively correlated with social support (p < 0.001). When nurses perceived greater social support, they were more psychologically empowered. Additionally, married nurses reported high levels of social support (p < 0.01). However, older nurses and nurses who were scheduled to work more night shifts reported statistically significant low social support (p < 0.001). Thus, the implementation of strategies to reduce stress at work, family, and wider social environment is essential for nurses working in psychiatric acute units.