Perceptions of Stress by Nurses in Different Specialities: Some Implications for Nursing Administrators

Abstract

Many writers have suggested that nursing is an occupation which can be considered high stress (Clark, 1980; Hartl, 1979; Parkes, 1980a, 1980b). Nurses' continual and intermittent exposure to crisis situations and emotionally-charged work situations have made them key targets for stress reactions. Although nursing administrators have long recognized that excess stress may adversely affect nurses' performance and levels of job satisfaction, there has been very little empirical research investigating the exact, nature of work-related stress for nurses. The limited amount of research which has been done has tended to focus upon nurses working in critical care areas such as intensive care units (Gowan, 1979; Huckabay & Jagla, 1979). There have been no studies to our knowledge attempting to find out whether stress may also be experienced by nurses working in the more traditional nursing specialties such as medicine, surgery, obstetrics, pediatrics or psychiatry. It is possible, for example, that nurses working in these specialties may experience different kinds and qualities of stress from that of nurses working in emergency departments, operating rooms, and special care units which are generally thought to be more stressful. Although a number of prescriptions are being advocated for how nursing administrators can help nurses handle stress provoking situations (see for example: Stillman & Strasser, 1980), it would seem that