Taking aim at nurse stress: a call to action

The study investigates stress levels and related behaviors of nurses in a military medical center during wartime. In 2007, nurses completed a questionnaire survey with objective validation of data in a subsample using actigraphy over 12 weeks. Of 270 nurses, 255 (94%) returned surveys. A total of 81...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Military medicine 2010-02, Vol.175 (2), p.96-100
Main Authors: Kashani, Mariam, Eliasson, Arn, Chrosniak, Linda, Vernalis, Marina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological
Adult
Fatigue - epidemiology
Fatigue - etiology
Female
Health Services Needs and Demand
Health Surveys
Humans
Male
Mental Health
Mental Health Services
Middle Aged
Military Nursing
Military Personnel
Military Psychiatry
Occupational Diseases - epidemiology
Occupational Diseases - etiology
Occupational Exposure - adverse effects
Psychometrics
Sleep Wake Disorders - epidemiology
Sleep Wake Disorders - etiology
Stress, Psychological
Surveys and Questionnaires
United States - epidemiology
Young Adult
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Summary:The study investigates stress levels and related behaviors of nurses in a military medical center during wartime. In 2007, nurses completed a questionnaire survey with objective validation of data in a subsample using actigraphy over 12 weeks. Of 270 nurses, 255 (94%) returned surveys. A total of 81% reported moderately high or high stress with sources listed as work (66%) and fatigue (39%). Many reported coming to work despite feeling ill and/or stressed (13.6 days/3 months). In contrast, morale was high or moderately high in 71%. Nurses reported an average of 5.5 hours of sleep/night, 8.8 h/wk taken for self, and 3.8 h/wk for exercise. Actigraphy data showed an average of 6.0 hours of sleep/night. These findings highlight a mismatch between stress levels and coping perceptions indicating an inability to properly care for self. To manage the effects of chronic stress, nurse leaders should implement systems targeting healthy life balance.
ISSN:0026-4075
1930-613X
DOI:10.7205/MILMED-D-09-00092