CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
There has recently been a growing awareness that workplace stress has negative repercussions for both individual health and safety as well as the health and performance of enterprises (Payne, 2001). This view is reflected not just in public and media attention, but also in labor unions’ and scientific and professional organisations’ growing concern, including the International Labor Organization. The effects of stress on health-care workers, particularly nurses, have been raised as a source of concern. He came to the conclusion that nursing is, by definition, a “stressful” profession. In a similar spirit, Harris (2001) remarked that, unlike few other occupations, the nurse is confronted with misery, excruciating suffering, and death on a regular basis.
Several nursing tasks are monotonous and unpleasant. By normal standards, many of them are unattractive and distasteful. Some are simply frightening, while others are frequently humiliating. It’s no surprise that nurses who are exposed to such activities and situations report high levels of stress, which is exacerbated by a variety of organizational issues that are increasingly recognized as contributing to the stress process.
An antecedent or stimulus, a reaction or consequence, and an interaction are the three types of stress. It’s been debated from a variety of perspectives. For example, Smith et al. (2001) predicted a physiological examination that would aid in determining the relationship between stress and illness. Cox and Griffiths (1996), on the other hand, pushed for a psychological perspective in which stress is the product of a particular situation.
Decision-making, patient care, taking responsibility, and change are four potential sources of anxiety for nurses, according to Menzies (1960). Because of the human suffering, physical effort, long hours, interpersonal relationships, and staffing requirements inherent in the task nurses perform, the nurse’s role has traditionally been viewed as stressful. Nurses’ job stress levels have increased over the last three decades as a result of increased technology use, rising health-care costs, and workplace discontent.
In today’s world, stress is a common and costly occurrence. According to Smith et al. (2001), the majority of employees report high levels of stress, which is linked to considerable increases in health-care spending. He also stated that stress is the leading source of employee turnover, absenteeism, conflict, and workplace accidents.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Workplace stress jeopardizes an organization’s well-being as well as the performance of its employees (Musyoka et al., 2012). As a result of the associated expenses and negative implications on the organizations’ and workers’ performance, the issue is becoming a serious worry for a cost of organizations (AL-Omar, 2003). Job stress, according to Azizolla et al. (2013), occurs when people have trouble dealing with work obligations and their sense of well-being suffers. Long work hours, ethical challenges, demanding patients, and mismatched expectations, according to Kazmi et al. (2008), make the health profession intrinsically stressful. Nigeria’s health industry is one of the most affected by the aforementioned problem. As a result, it is vulnerable to the aforementioned consequences. However, there is a scarcity of research on the impact of occupational stress on health worker performance in Nigeria in general, and specifically at Gwarinpka General Hospital in Abuja. Nurses’ performance, work stress levels, and the link between work stress and nurse performance will all be evaluated in this study.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The study’s major goal is to look into the psychosocial impacts of stress on nurses and midwives at Gwarinpka General Hospital in Abuja.
We want to do the following things in particular:
Examine some of the factors that contribute to stress in nurses at General Hospital.
Determine the impact of stress on General Hospital nurses’ performance.
Assess the rate and frequency of stress in nurses.
Examine the stress management of nurses at the General Hospital.
Examine the link between stress and nursing performance in a general hospital.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The study will look for answers to the following questions:
What are some of the stressors that General Hospital nurses face?
What impact does stress have on the nurses’ performance at General Hospital?
How common is stress among nurses, and what is the rate?
What tactics do nurses at General Hospital use to deal with stress?
What is the link between nurses’ stress and their performance at General Hospital?
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Nurses are the backbone of the health-care business in the United States; they not only provide care and comfort, but also serve as role models for good health. Thus, there is sufficient justification to investigate the psychosocial impacts of stress among nurses and midwives in Abuja’s Gwarinpka general hospital. Such research will aid nurses in identifying the sources of their stress and learning how to manage it in order to improve their performance.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The conclusions of the study include two limitations. First, this research was conducted in a public hospital, however just one public hospital represented all nurses. Second, this study only included nurses from the specified hospital; other medical personnel from the study area, such as laboratory technicians, therapists, and administrators, were not included. As a result, the findings of this study are likely to be limited to nurses at Gwarinpka General Hospital in Abuja. There could be regional/cultural elements that make the findings of this study distinctive to the hospital’s characteristics or the culture and geographic location of the region. The possible consequences of these constraints could be mitigated by a study with a broader coverage of hospitals across the country.
LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The Psychosocial Effects Of Stress Among Nurses And Midwives In Gwarinpka General Hospital, Abuja is the focus of this study. Work of this magnitude or nature can be carried out without restriction in the absence of restrictions on research. As a result, several limitations were experienced during the course.
Cost:
The cost of detailed research is out of reach for most students. The cost of the materials required for this project has increased, as has the cost of transportation.
Time:
One of the constraints in carrying out this investigation was the lack of time.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Stress:
Stress is the wear and strain on our bodies that occurs when we adjust to an ever-changing environment.
Stress Reduction:
This is defined as a variety of efforts to control and lessen the tension that arises in a stressful environment.
Employee:
This is a competent or unskilled employee who is guaranteed to be economically gesture, and he or she is employed for some type of monetary compensation.
Working Conditions:
This is the work situation’s organizational arrangement, which has a significant impact on the employee.
Performance:
This is the degree of efficiency with which manufacturing facilities, particularly labor and material, are utilized.
Stress that is harmful to the body:
This is the type of stress that has a negative impact on both the individual and the organization.
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