Self-efficacy, perfectionism, and stress in Canadian nurses

The current study examined the relationship between stress in nurses and their reported levels of job and life satisfaction, while also assessing the construct validity of theories of perfectionism and self-efficacy as these apply to the profession of nursing. One hundred and ninety-six nurses employed in Toronto and Windsor, Ontario completed measures of stress, perfectionism, self-efficacy, and job and life satisfaction as dependent variables. Generally, nurses who reported high levels of socially-prescribed and other-oriented perfectionism, and low levels of self-efficacy, also reported low levels of job satisfaction. Significant negative correlations were obtained between the number of reported nursing stressors and job satisfaction. The data also indicated that higher levels of socially-prescribed perfectionism and higher levels of self-efficacy were strongly related to both job and life stress. Some comments, interpretation, and implications of findings are presented.