The Relationship Between Demographic Variables and the Level of Job Satisfaction of Nurses Working in Psychiatric Teaching Hospitals in Baghdad

Abstract

Background:

The unpredictable behavior of mentally ill patients is likely to impact nurses, who are faced with managing and caring for disruptive behavior. There hasn’t been much research on nurses’ job satisfaction when caring for mentally ill patients, so the current study aims to determine whether demographic factors impact how satisfied nurses are with their jobs at mental hospitals in Baghdad, Iraq.

Materials and Methods:

A descriptive correlational approach was used for the study’s design. A modified version of the Mueller and McCloskey Satisfaction Scale (MMSS)1990 was sent to 230 registered nurses, using a self-administered questionnaire, and quota sampling technique was divided into three categories according to nurses’ distribution in these hospitals. Descriptive and analytic statistics tests, including means and standard deviations, were calculated to provide an overview of the data and was used through SPSS V26”.

Results:

Based on 203 usable answers, significant associations were found to exist between job satisfaction and demographic parameters such as age, marital status, number of years spent working as a psychiatric nurse, and the number of patients they serve daily.

Conclusions:

The demographics of this group of nurses at Iraqi mental hospitals varied, but overall, the psychiatric nurses expressed at least some “satisfaction” with their work.

Introduction

A nurse’s decision to remain or quit their place of employment is influenced by several factors, including job satisfaction and human resources management.[1] Professional satisfaction improves performance, reduces absenteeism, and increases motivation and organizational engagement. Recent years have seen a scarcity of nurses in Iraqi mental institutions, if this situation persists, patient care may become inefficient.[2] Mueller and McCloskey defined work Satisfaction by way of “the degree of positive emotional orientation toward employment”. Some authors, on the other hand, have taken from the literature on defined job satisfaction and behavior of organizational as “the variance between the quantity of rewards workers receive and the amount they perceive they should receive”.[3,4]

Job-related stress is frequently the outcome of extended and recurrent exposure to a stressful job environment.[5] The emotional toll that this type of caregiving may take on the caregiver is possible. Psychiatric nurses frequently experience stress and burnout, which can be linked to many important factors, the majority of which are thought to be inherent in the work that nurses do in mental wards, these factors include the inability to collaborate with other professionals, the nurse’s workload, a lack of confidence and competence in their nursing function, and an absence of support.[6] Numerous factors seem to affect the rate of burnout among nurses, as evidenced by the fact that in Japan, psychiatric nurses had a significantly higher prevalence of burnout than public hospital nurses and that in Hungary, married nurses reported a higher level of burnout than single nurses.[7] A study of Greek public hospital nurses reported a direct correlation between work-related stress and job satisfaction among nurses. Also, in Pakistan, a study at the Pakistan Teaching Hospital indicated that work-related stress was directly related to the poor performance of nurses in the university hospital. In a study of nurses in private hospitals in India, there was a positive correlation between the level of stress and the level of burnout among psychiatric nurses.[8]

A worker’s good attitude toward their place of employment, which manifests in their desire to stay there, is known as job satisfaction.[9] when considering an emotional connection as a sentimental approach to one’s profession. People tend to be more content in their jobs as their tenure gets longer.[10] There isn’t enough data to draw any firm conclusions on whether or not men and women experience different degrees of work satisfaction based on their gender. Some authors[11] found conflicting results when they looked at studies of work satisfaction between men and women. In addition, they found that employees with higher levels of education reported greater levels of job satisfaction, whereas other studies have shown the opposite to be true. The two were not linked in other research. Based on their findings, Ashraf, M. (2020) concluded that there is no correlation between marital status, number of employees, number of prior jobs, or ethnicity and work satisfaction.[12] These contradictions suggest that generalizations about the impact of demographic factors on work satisfaction should be limited to the specific region in which certain research was performed.[13]

In an attempt to provide a concise overview of nurses’ desire to work in psychiatric hospitals, this study demonstrates that although job satisfaction has a significant impact on employee turnover, little is known about the specifics of this relationship in the context of psychiatric nurses. In light of the aforementioned, this study is aimed to: (I) Investigate the socio-demographic factors of psychiatric nurses and their job satisfaction. (II) To look at the variations amongst hospital wards staffed by mental nurses in the Iraqi context.

Materials and Methods

During 2021–2022, descriptive cross-sectional research was conducted in specific psychiatric hospitals in Baghdad, Iraq (AL-Rashad, Ibn Rushed, and Medical City Psychiatric Unit). A non-probability purposive sampling was used to achieve the stated objectives. The questionnaire was filled in by the participants and consisted of two parts (demographic characteristics part and MMS part). It was preselected by the researchers. There were 203 who participated in the study. The sample size was determined by a specific equation for this type of study (z×pq)/d, where (P) refers to the estimated proportion of outcomes that are expected regarding relevant studies (if they were found) as used in the same study. (Z) represent the level of confidence (95%), so, the Z →1.96. (d) represent the level of desired significance, which is (0.05). (q) is (1- p). 0.73. This formula is used to calculate the sample size.[14] The population for this study was all nurses employed by the psychiatric hospitals in Baghdad, as the study lasted one year from December 2021 through December 2022 (N = 203). The quota sampling technique was divided into three categories according to nurses’ distribution in these hospitals. The questionnaire consisted of two parts; (the demographic information questionnaire collected data related to age, gender, educational level, marital status, job description, work status, psychiatric certificate, experience as a psychiatric nurse, how many patients are served per day, and who are the patients for whom services are provided). As a component of the more comprehensive survey, the 31-item “MMSS “Mueller and McCloskey, 1990”[15] was given to respondents. On a scale that varied from to, the items were graded based on a five-point response scale “very dissatisfied” (1) to “very satisfied” (5). MMSS questionnaire contains 31 questions that evaluate nurses’ satisfaction. The researcher rated this questionnaire on three levels: dissatisfied 31-72, partially satisfied 73–114, and satisfied 115–155. Data were collected in nursing station rooms in hospitals using questionnaires that were self-filled by participants. Participants’ consent was obtained verbally, and the research topic was clearly explained, taking into account the coding of participants’ full names and addresses. The researchers used the Arabic version of the questionnaire to test the length of time needed to fill the form. The final time needed ranged from 8 to 12 minutes for each participant to finish answering all questions. These hospitals were selected because they are unique and have a large number of beds related to mental illness.

The number of completed questionnaires that were returned was 220. When it was discovered that some of the participants had not sent in their completed questionnaire within the allotted time frame, which was 88% (203 After excluding the incomplete surveys, we utilized those that were returned for analysis, which numbered 17 and were eliminated). The data was analyzed using SPSS 26 (Statistics is a statistical package produced by IBM, Inc. Before 2010, SPSS was a separate company and produced statistical software under the SPSS and PASW names).[16] Means and standard deviations were calculated to provide an overview of the data. To examine the associations between the work satisfaction components and demographic variables such as gender, married status, and prior service with mental institutions by using a linear regression test.

Ethical consideration

The Research Ethics Committee (REC) of the College of Nursing/Babylon University authorized the study (under number 2399 dated 7-7-2022). The participants’ anonymity was kept throughout, and the permission agreement specified that completion of the surveys would suggest implicit assent.

Results

Table 1 shows the characteristics of the 203 study participants. Most of them (62.10%) were women, and 56.70% were professional skilled nurses. Their ages varied from 21 to 60 years old, with a mean (SD) of 33.60 years. The average number of years of nursing experience and time spent working at Baghdad Mental Hospitals were less than 10 years.

Table 1.

Professional profile and Demographics of PNs* of the three hospitals in Baghdad 2021–2022 (n: 203)

Demographic Data	Groups	Frequency (%)
Age Groups in years	21-30	110 (54.2)
	31-40	49 (24.1)
	41-50	28 (13.8)
	> 50	16 (7.9)
	Total	203 (100)
	Mean (SD)	50.75 (41.78)
Gender	Male	77 (37.9)
	Female	126 (61.1)
	Total	203 (100)
Marital status	Single	58 (28.6)
	Married	136 (67.0)
	Separate	9 (4.4)
	Total	203 (100)
Education level	Diploma or less	158 (77.8)
	Baccalaureate	32 (15.8)
	Master	10 (4.9)
	Doctorate	3 (1.5)
	Total	203 (100)
What hospital do you work in	Al-Rashad	164 (80.8)
	Ibn Rushed	32 (15.8)
	Medical City	7 (3.4)
	Total	203 (100)
Work status	Morning shift	168 (82.8)
	Night shift	35 (17.2)
	Total	203 (100)
Do you hold a mental health nursing certificate?	Yes	21 (10.3)
	No	182 (89.7)
	Total	203 (100)
The number of years you have served as a psychiatric nurse	1–5	117 (57.7)
	6–10	34 (16.7)
	11–15	18 (8.9)
	≥16	34 (16.7)
	Total	203 (100)
How many patients are served per day?	≤10	52 (25.6)
	11–20	12 (5.9)
	21–30	17 (8.4)
	≥31	122 (60.1)
	Total	203 (100)
Your job title (description)	Skilled nurse	115 (56.6)
	Technical nurse	45 (22.2)
	University nurse	43 (21.2)
	Total	203 (100)
Who are the patients for whom services are provided	Wards	164 (80.8)
	Reception	32 (15.8)
	Emergency	7 (3.4)
	Total	203 (100)

PNs*: Psychiatric Nurses

The questionnaire responses are shown in Table 2. Job satisfaction was semi-satisfied for participants Figure 1. Linear regression showed that some of the demographic is correlated with the overall Assessment of the Nurses’ Professional Satisfaction which is (age, marital status, number of years spent working as a psychiatric nurse, and number of patients served each day) (−0.47, 0.39, 0.78) the correlation is highly significant at p value < 0.01 [Table 3].

Table 2.

Assessment of Psychiatric Care Hospitals nurses’ satisfaction

Groups	Rating	Freq. (%)	M.S*	Overall assessment
Nurses Professional Satisfaction	Dissatisfied	7 (3.4)	1.98	Fair
	Fair	144 (71.0)
	Satisfied	52 (25.6)
	Total	203 (100.0)

M.S*=“the mean sum of squares.”

Figure 1.

Distribution of the study subjects by their overall assessment of the nurses professional satisfaction at Baghdad Psychiatric Hospitals

Table 3.

Correlations between the overall Assessment of the Nurses Professional Satisfaction with their selective demographic variables

Demographic variables	Age	Gender	Marital	psy Years
Age	1	-0.47-**	0.39**	0.78**
		0.00	0.00	0.00
	203	203	203	203
Gender	-0.472-**	1	-0.21-**	-0.38-**
	0.00		0.003	0.00
	203	203	203	203
Marital	0.39**	-0.21-**	1	0.36**
	0.00	0.03		0.00
	203	203	203	203
Psychiatric years	0.78**	-0.38-**	0.36**	1
	0.00	0.00	0.00
	203	203	203	203

*Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). **Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)

Discussion

The results of four of the eleven demographic variables associated with job satisfaction in the final model were age, gender, marital status, and years as a nurse in a psychiatric hospital. Those results are consistent with previous studies that have found that demographic variables were significant predictors of job satisfaction. It confirms Kanter’s theory that job satisfaction is not so much the result of professional quality, but rather of underlying circumstances for staff and/or institution, which suggests that creating favorable conditions in the workplace is essential to job satisfaction.[9] The view of the inferiority of the husband/wife and coming home for a long day with vivid memories of psychopaths was the variable that contributed the most to job satisfaction among nurses, which is coherent with the literature.[17] The matter is exacerbated financially if the service is short because the nurse’s salary is insufficient, or emotionally as a result of constantly thinking that those entering the hospital are in an unresponsive state and it is difficult to communicate with them due to the type and condition of the disease, as most of them are of the schizophrenic or psychotic type.[18]

A comprehensive investigation of several types of literature examined multiple papers and discovered that nurses in various contexts had diverse degrees of work satisfaction It was found that factors such as the degree of opportunities for growth, consistency, perception of staff organization, coworkers, extrinsic reward, salaries, independence, interaction, administrative duties, employed circumstances, nursing assignments, recognition, support of organizational and performance, psychological, physical reactions to assertive job, and client relationships are all factors that contribute to job satisfaction.[7]

This study concluded that job satisfaction is average, and this conclusion is consistent with other studies.[9] This outcome came as a bit of a surprise to those who are familiar with the challenges that are inherent in the practice of psychiatric nursing, which is considered to be challenging due to the presenting behaviors of patients, which might include violent or unpredictable behaviors that are difficult to regulate.[19] This inquiry can clarify whether people are still satisfied with their jobs despite the disparity in their data, variables, and living conditions.[20]

Another research indicated the finding that there was a statistical association between work satisfaction with age, marital status, number of years spent working as a psychiatric nurse, and number of patients served each day, while no correlation with other demographic variables.[21] In addition, Hayes et al.[22] discovered that there were no statistically significant associations between gender and work satisfaction or between job description and either stress or job satisfaction.[23] According to Chakraborty and colleagues’ research, there is no statistically significant association between the amount experienced and rank.[24] The link involving some variables and the duration of the experience was found to be ambiguous in a prior meta-analysis[17] that was carried out with the use of literature that originated from the United States of America, additional investigation into this possible association may be required, and providing a program to improve nursing knowledge and workplaces.[25] There were some limits during accomplishing the study going to hospitals in Baghdad happened to be postponed and delayed due to the blocking of roads due to the demonstrations that took place in the governorates, including Baghdad. Self-report bias through data collection. Nurses’ biased responses to social approval that they believe is socially desirable. Biased nurses may have difficulty remembering and accurately reporting the therapist’s experiences and emotions, so researchers seek to conduct a broad, in-depth study that ensures the representation of all staff, including nurses, to accurately determine the level of job satisfaction.

Conclusion

Although demographic variables differed in this group of nurses in psychiatric hospitals in Baghdad/Iraq, the psychiatric nurses were at least partially “satisfied” with their profession. We propose to develop preventive or supportive strategies to increase satisfaction among nursing staff in these settings, thereby increasing hospital gains and providing a safe and healthy environment for staff and patients alike.

Conflicts of interest

Nothing to declare.

Funding Statement

Nil.