Association of job-related stress factors with psychological and somatic symptoms among Japanese hospital nurses: effect of departmental environment in acute care hospitals

The present study examined degrees of job-related stress factors as well as mental and physical symptoms among Japanese hospital nurses in various departments, and clarified associations of departments and job-related stress factors with those symptoms. A self-administered anonymous questionnaire was distributed to 1,882 full-time nurses at four acute care hospitals in Japan. The survey included demographic factors, and the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire. Among 1,599 nurses who completed all items relevant to the present study, we analyzed data from 1,551 female nurses. The results show that working in operating rooms was associated with fatigue, that working in intensive care units (ICU) was associated with anxiety, and that working in surgery and internal medicine was associated with anxiety and depression independently of demographic factors and job-related stress factors. The physical and mental health of nurses might affect their time off, quality of nursing care and patient satisfaction in acute care hospitals. Therefore, job-related stress factors should be minimized, to improve the physical and mental health of nurses, considering unique departmental demands.     

Concern about AIDS among hospital physicians, nurses and social workers

In this study, the authors examine the worry and discomfort experienced by direct care health professionals in treating AIDS patients and how their profession, attitudes, knowledge, experience and demographic characteristics influence their emotional reaction to those patients. The research focuses on experienced emotion as distinct from expressed emotion, as an important factor in explaining health behaviors among professionals. To address these issues 536 health care professionals comprising 132 physicians, 378 nurses and 26 social workers employed at a University teaching hospital in Chicago were surveyed. The findings suggest that health care workers' emotional reactions to HIV depend on the type of patient interaction. We found for all three professions, as the invasiveness of contact increased, the level of worry and amount of discomfort also increased. Nurses however, on the whole were the most adversely affected by their patient contacts. We conclude that emotional reactions in the workplace cannot be explained by cognitions, beliefs and attitudes alone. This study suggests that work roles, work assignments, and professional authority contribute to emotional reactions to patients with AIDS.     

某三甲医院急诊科护士情绪耗竭和工作满意度现状调查

目的 调查某三甲医院急诊科护士情绪耗竭和工作满意度现状,并分析两者的相关性.方法 抽取某三甲医院急诊科护士126名,采用一般人口学调查问卷、Maslash职业倦怠量表(MBI)中情绪耗竭分量表、明尼苏达满意度问卷量表(MSQ)进行问卷调查.结果 126名急诊科护士的情绪耗竭均分为(2.69±0.51)分,包括轻度耗竭3...     

Risk factors of cyberbullying and its association with perceived health among Finnish adolescents

ABSTRACT

This study focused on the prevalence of cyberbullying dimensions (victims, bullies, seriousness of cyberbullying encountered) and its association with perceived health of Finnish adolescents.

A representative data sample of 12, 14, 16 and 18-year-old Finns from the Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey (AHLS) of the year 2015 were used. Participants responded to the survey via internet or paper questionnaire (n = 6698). Three dimensions of cyberbullyin,perceived health and health complaints (tension, irritation and headaches) were measured. Binary logistic regression was used to study the association of age and gender with cyberbullying and the association of perceived health with cyberbullying. Multinomial logistic regression was used to study the association of health complaints with cyberbullying. Odds ratio (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported as the measure of association.

Among the respondents, 12% were cyber victims, 8.2% cyberbullies and 4.4% encountered serious cyberbullying. Multivariable models, adjusted for family structure, father’s and mother’s education, indicated that girls were less likely to become cyberbullies (OR = 0.48, 95%, C.I. = 0.39–0.59), more likely to encounter serious cyberbullying (OR = 2.06, 95% C.I. = 1.47–2.87) and become cyber victims (OR = 1.27, 95%, C.I. = 1.04–1.56) compared to boys. Adolescents of age 12–14 years were more likely to become cyberbullies (OR = 1.22, 95%, C.I. = 1.00–1.48) and cyber victims (OR = 1.51, 95%, C.I. = 1.23–1.84) compared to 16–18 years. Moreover, poor perceived health and health complaints were associated with higher likelihood among girls, cyberbullies and cyber victims whereas, lesser likelihood among adolescents of 12–14 years compared to their respective reference groups.

Cyberbullying exists among Finnish adolescents. Age and gender were associated with cyberbullying activities and cyberbullying activities were associated with poor-perceived health and health complaints.     

Musculoskeletal complaints and psychosocial risk factors among Chinese hospital nurses

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal complaints represent a common occupational problem for health care workers throughout the world. Despite their sizeable numbers, however, few epidemiological studies have investigated musculoskeletal complaints among Chinese hospital nurses. Objective To assess the prevalence of, and risk factors for, musculoskeletal complaints among hospital nurses in mainland China. METHODS: A total of 282 female, registered nurses were surveyed (92% response rate) using a modified Chinese-language version of the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire. Body sites were divided into the neck, shoulder, upper back and lower back regions. RESULTS: The 12 month period-prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints at any of the four regions was 70%. The lower back was the most commonly reported body site (56%), followed by the neck (45%), shoulder (40%) and upper back (37%). High mental pressure, boring or tedious tasks and limited work support were identified as significant risk factors (adjusted odds ratios: 1.79-2.52). No correlations were found between manual handling or perceived physical exertion and increased reporting of musculoskeletal complaints. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that musculoskeletal complaints are prevalent among Chinese hospital nurses. The correlation with various psychosocial factors is also consistent with evidence from other countries.     

Fatigue,emotional exhaustion and perceived health complaints associated with work-related characteristics in employees with and without chronic diseases

Objectives Ageing of the Dutch working force and increasingly more stringent restrictions regarding early retirement and disability benefits are leading to higher numbers of workers with ill health. Until now, only a few studies have explored how employees with ill health perceive their work. This study investigated possible differences in scores on fatigue, emotional exhaustion, perceived health complaints and various work-related characteristics between chronically ill (CIWs) and non-chronically ill workers (NCIWs), as well as differences in associations between work- and health-related characteristics. Methods A questionnaire was sent to all employees of a Dutch university to collect data on perceived work-related and health-related characteristics (response 49.1%). Differences in various scores were analysed using χ ²-tests and the general linear model. Associations between the work- and the health-related characteristics were determined by multiple linear regression analyses in the CIWs (n = 444) and NCIWs (n = 1,347) separately. Interaction terms were included to detect differences between the two groups. Results The results indicated that the CIWs had less favourable scores on the three health-related characteristics. Also, the CIWs scored less favourably than the NCIWs on almost all the work-related characteristics. In the two groups, negative work-related aspects, such as higher work pressure, contributed most to explaining the variance in the health-related characteristics. However, in the CIWs, fatigue was not explained by the work-related aspects as much as in the NCIWs. In the CIWs, the association between unpleasant treatment and the health-related characteristics was stronger than in the NCIWs, but there were indications that autonomy, possibilities for learning and social support from superiors also played an important role. Conclusions CIWs perceived more fatigue, emotional exhaustion and health complaints than NCIWs. There were different patterns of associations between work- and health-related characteristics in the NCIWs and CIWs. Future studies on associations between work-related characteristics and health should take the presence of chronic disease into account.     

Anaesthetic health hazards among belgian nurses and physicians

Summary A questionnaire study was undertaken among Belgian nurses and physicians with the aim of evaluating whether there is a risk to the health of those persons whose professional life is spent in the operating theatre. Two professional groups occupied in operating theatre were chosen for study; firstly, the membership of the Belgian Society of Anaesthetics and, secondly, operating theatre nurses in Belgium. The control groups chosen for the anaesthetists were the membership of the Belgian Society of Dermatologists and the Belgian Society of Occupational Physicians. The control groups chosen for the operating theatre nurses were nurses working in intensive care units and a small group of social nurses.A total of 1,027 questionnaires was employed for the study and the number of pregnancies studied was 1910. The results did not indicate any statistically significant effects on pregnancy attributable to work in the operating theatre. With the possible exception of more frequent headaches, the health of operating theatre personnel does not seem to have been adversely affected by volatile anaesthetics.     

Ethical issues among Finnish occupational physicians and nurses

A postal survey was conducted among 200 Finnish occupational physicians and nurses on their ethical values and problems. Both groups considered 'expertise' and 'confidentiality' as the most important core values of occupational health services (OHS) corresponding with newly published national ethical guidelines for occupational physicians and nurses in Finland. Nearly all respondents had encountered ethically problematic situations in their work, but ethical problems with gene testing in the near future were not considered likely to occur. Only 41% of the nurses and 36% of the physicians had received some training in the ethics of OHS, and 76% of all respondents never used available ethical guidelines. According to the results, even if ethics play a vital role in OHS, the ability to critically evaluate one's own performance seems quite limited. This creates a need for further training and more practicable national guidelines.     

The prevalence of common mental disorders among hospital physicians and their association with self-reported work ability: a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: We studied the prevalence of common mental disorders among Dutch hospital physicians and investigated whether the presence of a mental disorder was associated with insufficient self-reported work ability. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to all (n=958) hospital physicians of one academic medical center, using validated scales to assess burnout, work-related fatigue, stress, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression. Furthermore, respondents were asked to rate their current work ability against the work ability in their own best period (adapted version of the first WAI item). The prevalence of each common mental disorder was calculated. In addition, odds ratios of reporting insufficient work ability for subjects with high complaint scores compared to patients with low complaint scores were calculated for each mental disorder. RESULTS: The response rate was 51%, and 423 questionnaires were eligible for analysis. The mental disorder prevalence rates were as follows: work-related fatigue 42%, depression 29%, anxiety 24%, posttraumatic stress complaints 15%, stress complaints 15% and burnout 6%. The mean score for self-reported work ability was 8.1 (range 0-10), and 4% of respondents rated their own work ability as insufficient. Physicians with high mental health complaints were 3.5- for fatigue, 5.6- for PTSD, 7.1- for anxiety, 9.5- for burnout, 10.8- for depression and 13.6-fold more likely to report their work ability as insufficient. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of common mental disorders among hospital physicians varied from 6% for burnout to 42% for work-related fatigue. Those physicians with high complaints had significantly 4- to 14 times increased odds of reporting their own work ability as insufficient. This work suggests that to ensure future workers health and patients safety occupational health services should plan appropriate intervention strategies.     

Overconfidence among physicians and nurses: the 'micro-certainty, macro-uncertainty' phenomenon

Overconfidence in clinicians was examined in two independently designed studies, each using a different research approach. The first study examined treatment choices of physicians in treating breast cancer, and the second rapid decision making among nurses working in Intensive Care Units. In both studies, individual respondents were highly confident they had made the right choice ('micro-certainty'), although there was no consensus across respondents as to what the optimal treatment would be ('macro-uncertainty'). The difference between micro-certainty of individuals and macro-uncertainty within the clinical community may cast some light on the persistence of practice variation. The implications of overconfidence in clinical treatment for patients, practitioners, and professional regulation are discussed.     

某医院内科临床护士针刺伤的危险因素调查与预防措施

目的 探讨临床内科护士针刺伤发生的危险因素及防范措施.方法 采取自行设计的调查问卷,对某教学医院100名内科临床护士进行回顾性调查.结果 针刺伤多发生在护理人员操作中(47.0％),工作量大、紧张繁忙是护士发生针刺伤的主要原因.工作年限越长,发生针刺伤的概率越小,工作年限与针刺伤的发生有很大关系(x2=14.790,P＜0.01).结论 需加强对护士职业安全防护教育,规范操作流程,加强硬件建设,减少护理人员职业伤害.     

The prevalence of chronic psychological complaints and emotional exhaustion among overweight and obese workers

Purpose

Literature suggests a relationship between overweight and obesity, and mental health problems, but data regarding prevalence rates are scarce. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of chronic psychological complaints and emotional exhaustion among overweight and obese workers.

Methods

Data were used from the Netherlands Working Conditions Survey (NWCS), which is representative for Dutch employees (n?=?43,928). Based on self-reported body mass index (BMI), workers were classified into underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obesity. Respondents indicated whether they suffered from chronic psychological complaints. Emotional exhaustion was measured by using the UBOS subscale. Logistic regression analyses were used to test differences in prevalence across weight categories, with healthy weight as the reference group. Analyses were stratified for gender, age, education, and occupation.

Results

Of the obese workers, 15.7% reported emotional exhaustion and 3.7% reported chronic psychological complaints. These prevalence rates were significantly higher than among healthy weight workers. A significant J shape was found with healthy weight workers reporting the lowest prevalence of both indicators of mental health problems. This J shape was generally also seen among the gender, age, education, and occupation subgroups, though not consistently significant.

Conclusion

Considering the proportion of obese workers that also suffers from psychological co-morbidities, interventions targeting obesity should take this into account. As weight-related stigma may play a role in the risk for mental health problems among obese workers, future longitudinal research on the mechanisms for the relation between overweight and mental health problems are recommended.     

Conflict among Iranian hospital nurses: a qualitative study

Background  

This study aims to explore the experience of conflict as perceived by Iranian hospital nurses in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. Although conflict-control approaches have been extensively researched throughout the world, no research-based data are available on the perception of conflict and effective resolutions among hospital nurses in Iran.