Nurse occupational stress research. 4: The prevalence of stress

This article, the fourth in a six-part series on nurse occupational stress, reviews the prevalence of nurse stress. It will attempt to address questions which are both critical and crucial to an examination of the prevalence of nurse stress. Does the evidence support the claim that the levels of nurse stress within the new NHS are increasing? Does current nurse stress research methodology permit like-for-like comparisons of nurse stress methodology in relation to issues such as frequency and degree of stress? Are certain areas of nursing more stressful than others?