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Role stress among first‐line nurse managers and registered nurses – a comparative study
Author(s) -
JOHANSSON GUNILLA,
SANDAHL CHRISTER,
HASSON DAN
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of nursing management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.925
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1365-2834
pISSN - 0966-0429
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2011.01311.x
Subject(s) - nursing management , nursing , job control , psychosocial , psychology , medicine , work (physics) , psychiatry , engineering , mechanical engineering
Background Studies show that first‐line nurse managers (F‐LNMs) experience high psychological job demands and inadequate managerial guidance. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether F‐LNMs have higher stress levels and show more signs of stress‐related ill health than registered nurses (RNs). Aim The aim of this study was to examine possible differences in self‐rated health between F‐LNMs and RNs on various psychosocial factors (e.g. job demand, job control and managerial support). Methods Data were collected at a university hospital in Sweden. Sixty‐four F‐LNMs and 908 RNs filled in a web‐based questionnaire. Results Both F‐LNMs and RNs reported having good health. Approximately 10–15% of the F‐LNMs and RNs showed signs of being at risk for stress‐related ill health. Statistically significant differences (Mann–Whitney U ‐test) were found in the distribution between the F‐LNMs and the RNs on three indices of job control, job demand and managerial support. Conclusion Our findings suggest that F‐LNMs were able to cope with high‐demand job situations because of relatively high control over work. Implication for nursing management The implication for nursing management shows the needs for a work environment for both F‐LNMs and RNs that includes high job control and good managerial support.