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Stress among nurses working in emergency, anesthesiology and intensive care units depends on qualification: a Job Demand-Control survey

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Abstract

Background

The nurse stress literature reports an overwhelming culture of acceptance and expectation of work stressors, ironically linked to the control of the workplace to effectively and proactively manage stress. The stressors involved in delivering “stress management” have been well studied in nursing-related workplaces, especially in acute care settings in accordance with the Karasek Job Demand-Control-Support (JDCS) model. However, little is known about the effects of specificity of an acute care unit and the level of qualifications on stress experienced by nurses.

Methods

A survey using the JDCS model was conducted among 385 nurses working in three different acute care units (anesthesiology, emergency and intensive care unit) from a university hospital. Specific questions explored variables such as gender, acute care units, level of qualification and working experience.

Results

Two hundred questionnaires were returned. A high level of job strain was highlighted without a gender effect and in the absence of isostrain. Nurses from acute care units were located in the high stress quadrant of the JDCS model. Conversely, other nurses were commonly located in the “active” quadrant. Independent of acute care settings, the highest level of education was associated with the highest job strain and the lowest level of control.

Conclusions

In an acute care setting, a high level of education was a key factor for high job stress and was associated with a perception of a low control in the workplace, both of which may be predictors of adverse mental health. In particular, the lack of control has been associated with moral distress, a frequently reported characteristic of acute care settings. To enhance the personal and professional outcomes of the advanced registered nurses, strategies for supporting nurses manage daily stressors in acute care are urgently required.

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Abbreviations

AnU:

Anesthesia units

APRN:

Advanced practice registered nurses

ECU:

Emergency care units

ICU:

Intensive care units

JCQ:

Job Content Questionnaire

JDC:

Job Demand-Control model from Karasek

JDCS:

Job Demand-Control-Support model

SRNL:

Simple registered nurses license

MICU:

Mobile intensive care unit

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Acknowledgments

We thank all nurses of the University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand, France, who participated in this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurophysiology of Stress, Armies’ Biomedical Research Institute, Armies’ Health Service, Bretigny sur Orge, France

    Marion Trousselard

  2. Occupational Medicine, University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand (CHU), Clermont-Ferrand, France

    Frédéric Dutheil

  3. School of Exercise Science, Faculty of Health, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC, 3065, Australia

    Frédéric Dutheil & Geraldine Naughton

  4. Laboratory of Metabolic Adaptations to Exercise in Physiological and Pathological Conditions EA3533, Blaise Pascal University, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    Frédéric Dutheil

  5. University Clermont Auvergne, 63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    Frédéric Dutheil & Pierre Schoeffler

  6. Anesthésie-Réanimation, Pôle BLOC-ARCHI, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, 63003, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    Sylvie Cosserant, Sylvie Amadon & Pierre Schoeffler

  7. Centre de Pharmacologie Clinique, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, 63003, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    Christian Dualé

  8. Inserm, CIC1405, 63003, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    Christian Dualé

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  1. Marion Trousselard
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Correspondence to Frédéric Dutheil.

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Trousselard, M., Dutheil, F., Naughton, G. et al. Stress among nurses working in emergency, anesthesiology and intensive care units depends on qualification: a Job Demand-Control survey. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 89, 221–229 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-015-1065-7

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