The Effect of Subjective Perception of Work in Relation to Occupational and Demographic Factors on the Mental Health of Polish Nurses

Abstract

Introduction: Nursing is considered one of the most stressful professions in the world. The high emotional burden associated with excessive workload in qualitative and quantitative terms, exposure to existing and emerging infectious diseases, daily confrontation with the suffering of individuals and their families and low social support leads to the development of numerous stress reactions among nurses, resulting in the development of anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction and depression. Indeed, somatic and mental stress-related disease rates are higher among nurses than in the general population.Aim: To determine the impact of subjective work characteristics on the mental health of nurses in relation to demographic and occupational factors.Material and method: The research was carried out among 558 nurses working in hospitals in Podlaskie Voivodeship, and used the Subjective Work Evaluation Questionnaire (SWEQ) and Goldberg's GHQ-28 Questionnaire.Results: As measured by SWEQ, and as self-assessed by means of the GHQ-28 questionnaire, overall stress negatively affects the nurses' health (R2 = 18.7%). Among the partial measures of the SWEQ questionnaire, work overload had strong and the lack of rewards, social relations and lack of support had weak negative effect on the overall mental health assessment of nurses (R2 = 19.2%). The responsibility measure was an exception that had a positive impact on the nurses' well-being. Among occupational and demographic factors, only higher education in relation to secondary education in interactions with the overall stress measure and unpleasant work conditions had a positive effect on the overall mental health self-assessment of nurses (R2 = 20.7%).Conclusions: The results of our study provide a clear message to the hospital management that improving the work organization and atmosphere of nurses by reducing perceived work overload and increasing the responsibility of nurses can have a positive impact on their mental health. Encouraging nurses to improve their education can result not only in an obvious improvement in staff qualifications, but also in better resistance to stressors in the workplace and, consequently, in better staff well-being. Both measures can have a positive impact on the quality of care provided by nurses and on reducing staff turnover.

Unknown Enemy and Psychopathological Responses: A Cross-Sectional Nationwide Study Assessing the Knowledge About COVID-19

“…This change can be explained by the phenomenon of habituation, as an ability to adapt to the new working conditions of healthcare workers. However, participants of the present study presented more severe psychopathological symptoms in comparison to the results of the study performed before the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic assessing mental health of Polish nurses with the GHQ-28 questionnaire (60). The lack of significant differences between medical and non-medical professionals in terms of the level of knowledge about COVID-19 and the severity of psychopathological symptoms is consistent with the previously described correlation of knowledge about COVID-19 with the severity of psychopathological symptoms.…”

Work engagement and associated factors among dental nurses in China

“…In the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS 2000), job stress was found to be the second most common work-related health problem [ 45 ]. The overall pressure of nurses has a negative impact on mental health [ 46 , 47 ]. Job stress among nurses reduced patient-perceived reliability and assurance, which meant that patient-perceived nursing quality declined [ 48 ].…”

Relationship Between Work Engagement, Psychosocial Risks, and Mental Health Among Spanish Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…It should be noted in the latter study (29) the variability between the different professionals since, in the compensation dimension, high risk was more common among nurses, unlike medical staff, where the Psychological Requirements (p < 0.001) and Social Support and Leadership Quality dimension presented a higher frequency at the level of risk, as compared to other professionals. Social support may be a key element to minimize the negative consequences of stress, as this may be one of the most important emerging risks regarding occupational health and management (30). It is particularly * Numbering before the modalities of each variable indicates the encoding method used for the analysis, coinciding value "0" with the baseline or reference category, and values "1"…”