The relationship between length of service and occupational stress in nurses working in an emergency department

Background: Nurses in emergency departments often face department overcrowding with patients, and deal with very ill patients, critical incidents and excessive workloads. Research has indicated that these situations may be associated with work-related stress and the onset of depressive disorders among nursing staff. Aim & Objective: To investigate length of service in relation to occupational stress levels among nurses working in an emergency department, and develop interventions to reduce stress. Methods: A cross-sectional study using a survey was conducted among nurses(N=79) working in the emergency department of one hospital. Occupational stress was measured using the Symptom Checklist 90(SCL-90). Results: Respondents were categorized according to their length of service. Length of service was categorized as follows: group A, <1 year(n=16); group B, between 1 and 5 years(n=31); group C, between 5 and 10 years(n=20); and group D, >10 years(n=12). Group A reported more somatic and anxiety symptoms and a higher total symptom score on the SCL-90 compared with the normal group(p<0.05). Nurses who had worked for longer than 1 year scored above mid-score on all the SCL-90 subscales except on the interpersonal sensitivity and phobic anxiety subscales(p<0.05). There was no difference between groups B, C and D groups for total SCL-90 score. Conclusion: Nurses who had worked for >1 year in the emergency department experienced more work-related stress than the general population. Further research on suitable interventions for the management of occupational stress in nurses working in emergency departments is required.