FACTORS RELATED TO JOB STRESS IN DIFFERENT WORK SHIFTS OF NURSES WORKING IN HOSPITALS AFFILIATED TO SHAHROUD UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES

Nurses are exposed to many stressors with different sources due to their job nature, which is very important to identify in different situations. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the factors related to job stress in different work shifts of nurses working in hospitals affiliated to Shahroud University of Medical Sciences.

In this descriptive-analytical study, 139 nurses from hospitals affiliated to Shahroud University of Medical Sciences were included by stratified sampling method. To collect data, demographic characteristics and Taft Gray and Anderson job stress questionnaires were used. Data were analyzed by SPSS software using T-Test and ANOVA statistical tests.

The mean and standard deviation of job stress of nurses were 85.28 ± 19.87 and the stress level of most nurses was moderate. The most stressful area was related to "conflict with doctors ". The highest level of job stress was observed in the dominant morning shift and a significant relationship was found with the area of "patient suffering" (p=0.04).  In other shifts, the area of" conflict with doctors" was the most stressful area. There was no statistically significant relationship between demographic characteristics and mean job stress score of nurses (p< 0.05).

The results of the present study showed that the stressors of nurses in different work shifts are in the area of "patient suffering and death" and "conflict with doctors". Therefore, stress reduction interventions among nurses are of great importance and should be considered in hospital planning and management.