A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY TO ASSESS THE PREVALENCE OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AMONG VILLAGE HEALTH NURSES OF TAMILNADU
Journal Title: Journal of Evolution of Medical and Dental Sciences - Year 2018, Vol 7, Issue 6
Abstract
BACKGROUND Occupational stress is defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources or needs of the worker. Studies have shown the prevalence of occupational stress to be high among health care providers compared to other professions. Village Health Nurse, the immediate health care provider at health sub-centre are at increased risk of occupational stress with increasing job demands. While there are studies measuring prevalence of occupational stress among doctors and staff nurses, little is known about these field level health workers. The aim of this study is to find the prevalence of occupational stress and its associated risk factors among Village Health Nurses of Tamilnadu. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study tool was a self-administered questionnaire prepared in local language (Tamil) which had sections on socio-demographic profile, factors related to stress, and occupational stress measured using Professional Life Stress Scale. The scores categorise stress levels into ranges of Non-problematic (upto 15), Moderate stress (16 - 30), Severe stress (31 - 45) and Very Severe stress (45 - 60). Settings and Design- A cross-sectional study was conducted among 106 Village Health Nurses in a Health Unit District of Tamilnadu. The study tool was a self-administered questionnaire prepared in local language (Tamil) which had sections on sociodemographic profile, factors related to stress, and occupational stress measured using Professional Life Stress Scale. The scores categorise stress levels into ranges of Non-problematic (upto 15), Moderate stress (16 - 30), Severe stress (31 - 45) and Very Severe stress (45 - 60). Descriptive and inferential statistics was used appropriately. A ‘p’ value of less than 0.05 was considered to be significant. RESULTS Among the study participants, 79.2% (84 out of 106) had moderate or severe occupational stress and 8.4% had severe stress. There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of occupational stress based on socio-demographic profile. Among work related stress factors, being a single earning member in the family, having less sleep in the night (< 6 hours), traveling for more than an hour to workplace and less salary satisfaction had a higher prevalence of occupational stress. The prevalence of occupational stress was significantly higher among women who had chronic illness for more than 1 year. CONCLUSION The study highlights the high prevalence of occupational stress among the frontline workers of Public Health in Tamilnadu. Occupational stress being identified as one of the occupational hazards, they should be screened periodically for early detection and appropriate management.
Authors and Affiliations
Arunmozhi Arunmozhi, Sudharshini Subramaniam, (Late) Maheshwari Maheshwari
Keywords
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- EP ID EP399014
- DOI 10.14260/jemds/2018/178
- Views 87
- Downloads 0
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