Physical environment, occupational conflict, and ambiguity of roles: Job stressors among nurses

Background and purpose: Providing health services in health centers is a challenging and risky job. So that, realization of quality, performance, efficiency, and fairness in the provision of such services needs a proper condition to ensure that the stress experienced by the personnel is minimized. The present study is a survey of the factors effective on job stress among the nurses working in the educational hospitals affiliated with Tehran Medical Science University, Iran. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted as a correlative work with a sample size of ۱۸۰ nurses. A researcher-designed questionnaire was used as data gathering tool. The validity of which was confirmed by the experts and its reliability was ascertained using Cronbach’s alpha (&alpha = ۰.۹۲). The data were analyzed in SPSS using descriptive statistics such as central indices and inferential statistics including Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: Mean score of the physical environment (۱.۹۶), occupational conflict (۱.۹۷), and ambiguity of role (۲.۲۰) were less than the average score. In addition, there was a statistically significant relationship between physical environment, occupational conflict, and ambiguity of roles on one hand and the stress experienced by the nurses on the other hand (P < ۰.۰۵). Conclusion: Given the significant relationship between physical environment, occupational conflict, and ambiguity of roles on one hand and the nurse’s stress, on the other hand, improvement of the environmental problem and assigning tasks that are more specific can be greatly helpful in improvement of the work condition.