A Study of the Work Conditions, Daily Living Habits and Occupational Stress of Nurses and Care Workers Employed by Nursing Care Medical Facilities
10.2185/jrm.4.7
- Author:
Hiroyuki Hyoudo
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- MeSH:
workforce;
Stress;
Work;
Life Style;
categories
- From:Journal of Rural Medicine
2008;4(1):7-14
- CountryJapan
- Language:Japanese
-
Abstract:
Objective: A survey was conducted to understand the work conditions, daily living habits and occupational stress of nurses and care workers employed by nursing care medical facilities. Materials and Methods: Self-completion questionnaires were administered to 68 personnel (27 nurses, 41 care workers) aged 38.3 ± 12.5 years. Results: The percentage of nurses who fell under the `good' lifestyle category was zero, while the percentage of those in the `poor' lifestyle category was 66.7%. In comparison, 12.2% of care workers enjoyed a `good' lifestyle, and 56.1% had a `poor' lifestyle. From among all the respondents, 60.2% fell under the `poor' lifestyle category. There were significant differences between nurses and care workers (p<0.01) for two categories, `stress from the work environment' and `subjective level of his/her work aptitude', which are presumably stress factors. Significant differences were also observed between them (p<0.05) for the following two categories, `subjective level of physical burden' and `job satisfaction'. There was no significant difference between the nurses and the care workers with regard to the raw scores recorded for all the categories under `physical and mental reactions caused by stress'. However, the care workers scored 8.1 ± 2.3 points in the `feeling of fatigue' category, and their scores were evaluated as `slightly high' as per the determination criteria. With regard to the stress-relieving factors, no significant differences were noted between the nurses and care workers in terms of the raw scores recorded for any of the categories. The raw scores recorded for the `support from supervisors' category were 7.3 ± 2.0 and 7.1 ± 1.8 points for the nurses and care workers, respectively. These scores were evaluated as `slightly high' according to the determination criteria of the questionnaire on stress. Conclusions: On the basis of the results of this study, it was determined that the work hours per day were longer and the duration of breaks was shorter for the nurses than for the care workers. No significant difference was observed in the daily living habits of the nurses and care workers. The raw scores for the factors (questionnaire items) that were presumed to be the causes of stress were significantly higher for the nurses than for the care workers. Support from supervisors was a stress-relieving factor for both the nurses and care workers.
