The Nursing Stress Scale-Spanish Version: An Update to Its Psychometric Properties and Validation of a Short-form Version in Acute Care Hospital Settings

Work-related stress and quality of life in nurses during the Covid-19 pandemic

Introduction

Work-related stress is the physical and emotional manifestation triggered by an imbalance in coping with perceived demands. One of the workers most affected by work-related stress is the nursing staff, a situation that was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic and could affect their quality of life.

Objective

To evaluate the connection between quality of life and work-related stress in nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials and Methods

Analytical, cross-sectional study, with a quantitative approach. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analysis were used for the present study.

Results

a negative correlation was obtained between quality of life and stress level (r = -0.438, p < 0.01), and being a professional nurse was related to higher stress levels. On the other hand, being 31 years or older and having more than 12 months of work experience were associated with a higher quality of life score, while being female, single, separated, or widowed and having higher acute stress scores indicated a significantly worse quality of life.

Discussion

Acute stress negatively affects the quality of life of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic and this differs significantly according to age, sex, marital status, and work experience.

Conclusion

It is recommended that the health sector authorities design policies that guarantee strategies to improve the mental health of nursing personnel, as well as to guarantee fair and dignified treatment.

Magnitude and Determinants of job Stress among pre-Hospital Care Providers Working in Ambulance Centers, Addis Ababa

Introduction

Pre-hospital care personnel, including paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs), are crucial frontline responders in emergency medical situations. They are critical in delivering timely medical assistance to individuals in emergencies. However, the demanding nature of their work can subject them to significant job stress, which may adversely affect their well-being and job performance.

Objectives

This study aimed to assess the levels of job stress and explore associated factors among pre-hospital care providers in Addis Ababa.

Methodology

A cross-sectional study was conducted at a healthcare facility, involving 134 ambulance healthcare providers. Participants were selected through a simple random sampling technique. Data collection employed pretested, self-administered questionnaires utilizing a nursing stress scale. Descriptive statistics were utilized to summarize the findings. Logistic regression analysis was employed to ascertain associations between variables while controlling for potential confounders. The strength of the association between dependent and independent variables was evaluated using odds ratios with a 95% confidence interval.

Result

Of the 134 study participants, 47% (95% CI: 38.2, 55.8) of them had job stress. Notably, several factors were significantly associated with job stress among pre-hospital healthcare providers working in ambulances. Conflict with leaders (AOR = 5.07; 95% CI: 2.98, 12.53), fear of mistakes (AOR = 8.22; 95% CI: 1.86, 36.34), lack of resources (AOR = 11.06; 95% CI: 5.19, 22.41), overloaded with ambulance care (AOR = 18.94; 95% CI: 4.33, 38.73) and inadequate information from dispatchers (AOR = 7.35; 95% CI: 3.32, 16.62) were identified as significant associated factors of job stress among these providers. These findings highlight the critical need to address leadership conflicts, fear of errors, and communication deficiencies to mitigate job stress among pre-hospital healthcare providers working in ambulances.

Conclusion

This study highlights the prevalence of job stress among pre-hospital healthcare providers working in ambulances, and found it as a significant problem. Notably, conflict with leaders, fear of mistakes, lack of resources, work overload and inadequate information from dispatchers emerged as significant associated factors contributing to job stress among pre-hospital health care providers. Efforts to foster better communication channels between providers and dispatchers, promote supportive leadership practices, and implement error-reduction strategies are essential. By addressing these challenges, healthcare organizations can create a more conducive work environment that supports the mental and emotional health of pre-hospital healthcare providers.

The psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the stressor scale for emergency nurses

BACKGROUND

Emergency nurses are experienced specific stress factors. To evaluate stressors of emergency nurses effectively is useful to improve quality of nursing care. This study aimed to translate the stressor scale for emergency nurses into Chinese (C-SSEN) and carry out the reliability and validity test among Chinese emergency nurses.

METHODS

A total of 358 emergency nurses from four hospitals in Tianjin, Henan, and Shandong province of China are recruited through a convenience sampling. The C-SSEN was translated into Chinese applying a classic 'forward-backward' translation method. Reliability (internal consistency, test-retest reliability) and validity (content validity, construct validity) were assessed.

RESULTS

The final version of C-SSEN was rated by the expert panel, indicating good content validity (I-CVI ≥ 0.83, S-CVI = 0.96). The scale had satisfactory content validity, internal consistency (Cronbach's α coefficient = 0.958), and test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.824).

CONCLUSION

The C-SSEN is a useful and reliable scale to evaluate stressors among emergency nurses.