Occupational Stress and Family Dynamics in the Nursing Personnel

Abstract

Introduction: Nursing professionals are exposed to emotionally strong situations, since they make vital decisions day by day, in order to save lives and face death. These tensions can generate stress, which not only affects productivity or performance at work, but also affects their physical, mental and emotional health, which even disturbs their relationships with their family members.

Objective: To determine the relationship between family dynamics and occupational stress presented by nurses who work at Julio Pinto Manrique Regional Hospital of the National Police of Peru, in Arequipa.

Methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional and correlational study carried out with a population of 72 active nurses from Julio Pinto Manrique Regional Hospital of the National Police of Peru. The sample consisted of fifty nurses, who consented to participate in the study and were not out of work. Two questionnaires were applied: one for estimating the degree of stress, known as Professional Life Stress Scale and made up of 22 items; and another for assessing family dynamics, made up of eighteen items. The data were processed using descriptive statistics, while Pearson's chi-square test (X²) was applied for inferential analysis, with a significance level of 5%.

Results: 70% of the nurses presented a mild stress level, while family dynamics was assessed as acceptable and satisfactory in 38% and 30%, respectively. The nurses who presented moderate-to-high stress levels showed unsatisfactory family dynamics.

Conclusions: The nursing personnel of Julio Pinto Manrique Regional Hospital of the National Police of Peru presented a low level of stress, which derives from professional practice itself. The association of stress with family dynamics was not significant, most likely due to the number of samples.