Stress in perioperative nursing: sources, frequency and correlations to personality factors

Psychological stress in perioperative nursing is a complex phenomenon that is often reported in the literature as having potentially detrimental consequences. However, little specific research has been conducted into the causes and possible mediating processes involved in the stress response. The aims of this pilot study were firstly, to identify the range of stressors encountered by a group of perioperative nurses (n = 47) and secondly, to investigate the relationship of the reported interpersonal stressors to the personality construct of lifestyle proposed by individual Psychology (IP). The results of the study indicate that the major stressors experienced by this group of perioperative nurses are related to interpersonal conflict, organisational issues, equipment availability and workload. Interpersonal conflict was the leading stressor and the construct of lifestyle was significantly correlated with nurses' psychological stress in specific difficult interpersonal conflict situations. The implications of the findings include the possibility of developing interventions based on IP that may assist nurses to better deal with interpersonal conflict in the perioperative setting and to possibly reduce their stress responses in frequently encountered difficult interpersonal situations.