Effectiveness of stress management interventional programme on occupational stress for nurses: A systematic review

Abstract

Aim The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the effectiveness of stress management interventional programme in reducing occupational stress among nurses. Background Nursing professionals are placed continuously at the forefront in the area of health care which makes them highly exposed to professional stress. Evaluation Randomized controlled trial studies (RCTs) were systematically searched in eight different databases for works published in English from 2011 to 2019; inclusion criteria were applied by two reviewers critically and assessed the risk of bias using Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT). Key issues The systematic search contributed to the extraction of approximately 10 most relevant RCTs. Most of the RCTs considered in this systematic review revealed that the stress reduction interventions and strategies were effective in reducing the levels of occupational stress experienced by nurses. Conclusions Current review shows that stress management interventional programme tends to be effective, but additional well‐designed RCTs are needed to confirm their effectiveness. Implications for nursing management Implementing stress management interventions within health care organisations are likely to assist nurses in reducing occupational stress and in improving coping strategies used by nurses for dealing with stress.

Development of the Nurses’ Occupational Stressor Scale

“…In addition to applying stress management interventions to reduce stress [18], as recommended by Happell et al [19], an initial step toward reducing occupational stress is to understand the stressors present in nurses' work environments as well as the methods through which these stressors may be eliminated. Not only qualitative researches have been performed to look for nursing stressors [19,20], but several self-report scales have been developed to measure nursing stress indicators in hospital environment, such as Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS) [21], and Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index [22].…”

Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the General Work Stress Scale

“…Nursing is acknowledged to be stressful work (Abualrub & Al‐zaru, 2008; Cox et al., 1996), and work stress in nursing is already of global concern (Happell et al., 2013). It is estimated that 70% of nurses suffer from stress (Alkhawaldeh et al., 2020). Maharaj et al.…”

“…Work stress is associated with physical and mental health outcomes (Khamisa et al., 2015). Numerous studies have shown that work stress significantly influenced nurses' burnout, musculoskeletal disorders, poorer self‐perceived health, social support, self‐efficacy, absenteeism and job satisfaction (Alkhawaldeh et al., 2020; Cox et al., 1996; Hayes et al., 2015; Khamisa et al., 2015; Liu & Aungsuroch, 2019; Tab ak & Orit, 2007). Stress in the workplace has a negative effect on nursing well‐being outcomes (Farquharson et al., 2013; Tab ak & Orit, 2007; Teo et al., 2013).…”

“…Stress in the workplace has a negative effect on nursing well‐being outcomes (Farquharson et al., 2013; Tab ak & Orit, 2007; Teo et al., 2013). Workplace stress may lead to psychosomatic disorders, anxiety, anger, headaches, insomnia, frustration, depression, dizziness, eating disorder, migraines, muscle aches and chronic fatigue among nurses (Alkhawaldeh et al., 2020; Chen et al., 2016; Chesak et al., 2019; Cox et al., 1996; King et al., 2009; Liu & Aungsuroch, 2019; Maharaj et al., 2019). Additionally, high levels of stress may lead to or exacerbate maladaptive behaviours, such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, substance abuse and over‐ or under‐eating (Maharaj et al., 2019).…”

“…High levels of nursing turnover and shortages increase the workload on nurses (Alkhawaldeh et al., 2020). When health staff are exposed to stressful working environments with low resources and high job demands, these may risk their health situation, causing medical errors and insufficient patient care (Chen et al., 2016; Farquharson et al., 2013).…”