Table 2.
Sources of work stress for the different nursing positions; n = 20,996
| Sources of stress | Clinical registered Nurses (n = 17,152) Mean (SD) |
Nurse practitioners (n = 1438) Mean (SD) |
Head Nurses (n = 2406) Mean (SD) |
p value | Post hoc | Aspects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall level of work stress | 69.52 (15.53) | 70.36 (14.51) | 69.46 (15.42) | 0.188 | – | – |
| Evaluation | 3.33 (1.16) | 3.36 (1.14) | 4.01 (1.07) | < 0.001 | HN > CN = NP | 1 |
| Health department or other external policy requirements | 3.17 (1.13) | 3.09 (1.10) | 3.71 (1.10) | < 0.001 | HN > CN > NP | 1 |
| Colleagues from own department | 2.70 (0.91) | 2.71 (0.90) | 2.79 (0.90) | < 0.001 | HN > CN = NP | 2 |
| Hospital management | 2.83 (1.05) | 2.88 (1.03) | 3.04 (1.03) | < 0.001 | HN > CN = NP | 2 |
| Too many extra-occupational duties | 3.36 (1.00) | 3.31 (1.00) | 3.46 (1.00) | < 0.001 | HN > CN = NP | 2 |
| Performance requirements | 2.94 (1.00) | 2.94 (1.00) | 3.09 (1.00) | < 0.001 | HN > CN = NP | 2 |
| Supervisor of own department | 2.98 (0.89) | 3.04 (0.91) | 3.04 (0.89) | < 0.001 | NP = HN > CN | 3 |
| Other departmental supervisors or colleagues | 2.54 (0.93) | 2.63 (0.93) | 2.58 (0.88) | 0.008 | NP > CN = HN | 4 |
| Work difficulty and complexity | 3.24 (0.88) | 3.32 (0.85) | 3.25 (0.88) | < 0.001 | NP > CN = HN | 4 |
| Uncertainty regarding medical results or work outcomes | 3.26 (0.91) | 3.36 (0.90) | 3.26 (0.91) | < 0.001 | NP > CN = HN | 4 |
| Urgency of work | 3.13 (0.98) | 3.19 (0.98) | 3.13 (1,00) | 0.003 | NP > CN = HN | 4 |
| Insufficient work leadership or support | 2.80 (0.93) | 2.92 (0.95) | 2.72 (0.93) | 0.001 | NP > CN > HN | 5 |
| Lack of job security | 2.88 (1.03) | 3.28 (1.04) | 2.65 (1.01) | < 0.001 | NP > CN > HN | 5 |
| Unequal work requirements | 3.04 (1.05) | 3.15 (1.04) | 2.94 (1.05) | < 0.001 | NP > CN > HN | 5 |
| Patients | 3.13 (0.87) | 3.10 (0.83) | 2.82 (0.88) | < 0.001 | CN = NP > HN | 6 |
| Workload or working hours | 3.36 (0.89) | 3.36 (0.87) | 3.33 (0.90) | < 0.001 | CN = NP > HN | 6 |
| Labor burden | 3.33 (0.92) | 3.31 (0.90) | 3.25 (0.94) | < 0.001 | CN = NP > HN | 6 |
| Job hazards | 3.23 (0.95) | 3.20 (0.92) | 2.97 (0.95) | < 0.001 | CN = NP > HN | 6 |
| Contact with death or similar experiences during work | 3.15 (1.01) | 3.09 (0.95) | 2.84 (1.00) | < 0.001 | CN = NP > HN | 6 |
| Unfamiliarity with work, insufficient training, or not applying one’s knowledge | 2.83 (0.93) | 2.81 (0.92) | 2.60 (0.90) | < 0.001 | CN = NP > HN | 6 |
| Promotion stress | 2.92 (1.02) | 2.70 (0.98) | 2.69 (1.01) | < 0.001 | CN > HN = NP | 7 |
| Health insurance | 2.55 (1.07) | 2.71 (1.08) | 2.52 (1.10) | < 0.001 | NP > CN = HN | 8 |
| Lack of mental support | 2.82 (0.97) | 2.90 (0.95) | 2.77 (0.97) | 0.003 | NP > CN = HN | 8 |
Note: The eight sources of work stress are: (1) evaluation and policy; (2) colleagues, higher-level officers, and extra-occupational duties; (3) supervisor of own department; (4) work content and opinions of individuals from other departments; (5) lack of work leadership, security, and equality; (6) impact of and fatigue from work performance; (7) promotion; and (8) others