Effects of Work‐Related Stressors and Mindfulness on Mental and Physical Health Among Australian Nurses and Healthcare Workers

Purpose To examine the relative impact of work‐related stressors and the personal resource of mindfulness on employees’ mental and physical health. Design A cross‐sectional survey design with nursing and healthcare workers in Victoria, Australia. Methods Data were collected from 702 respondents. Mea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of nursing scholarship 2019-09, Vol.51 (5), p.580-589
Main Authors: De Cieri, Helen, Shea, Tracey, Cooper, Brian, Oldenburg, Brian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cardiovascular disease
Clinical nursing
Compensation
Employees
Health behavior
Health care
Health status
Hospitals
Medical personnel
Mental disorders
Mental health
Mindfulness
Nurses
Nursing
Nursing care
Occupational stress
physical health
Stress
Work
Workers
work‐related stressors
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Summary:Purpose To examine the relative impact of work‐related stressors and the personal resource of mindfulness on employees’ mental and physical health. Design A cross‐sectional survey design with nursing and healthcare workers in Victoria, Australia. Methods Data were collected from 702 respondents. Mean scores for work‐related stressors and employee mental and physical health were compared with population norms. We used hierarchical linear regressions to examine the relative impact of demographics, work‐related stressors, and mindfulness on employee mental and physical health. Findings Employees in this sample reported higher levels of work‐related stress and poorer mental health compared to available norms, while their levels of physical health were within the normal range. Regression analyses showed that work‐related stressors were important predictors of employee mental health, but mindfulness was the stronger predictor. There was a slightly stronger relationship between employee physical health and work‐related stress compared to mindfulness. Furthermore, being younger and employed in a non‐nursing role were associated with better physical health. Clinical Relevance Encouraging mindfulness as a health behavior practice among nurses and other healthcare workers could improve employee well‐being and potentially enable them to more effectively fulfill the requirements of their demanding roles.
ISSN:1527-6546
1547-5069
DOI:10.1111/jnu.12502