Mental Stress in Nursing: An Occupational Health Management Plan

This report provides a detailed analysis of mental stress within the nursing occupation, focusing on its causes, associated risks, and potential control measures. It begins with an introduction that highlights the challenges and stressors nurses face, including long working hours, exposure to health hazards, organizational factors, and teamwork pressures. The report then explores the various risks associated with mental stress, such as mental health problems (depression, anxiety), physical health issues (hypertension, migraines), and behavioral problems (absenteeism, reduced performance). The report also includes an occupational health program, including fitness activities, general health benefits, mental health and stress release activities as well as social activities, designed to mitigate these risks and improve nurses' mental well-being. The effectiveness of the program is evaluated through the return on investment, number of beneficiaries, and questionnaires. Overall, the report emphasizes the importance of addressing mental stress in nursing to create a healthier and more productive work environment.

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Mental Stress in the Nursing Occupation
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Executive summary
Work-related stress is now becoming common in the nursing field resulting from the
duties and environment surrounding nurses. The following report offers an analysis of mental
stress in the nursing occupation looking at its causes, risks and control measures. It includes a
wellness program that can be implemented to improve the mental health of the health care
providers and also ways of measuring its success. An appropriate wellness program will function
to minimize mental stress within the nursing occupation resulting in improved performance in
health services.

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Contents
Introduction...............................................................................................................................................4
Characteristics of nursing that lead to occupational stress................................................................4
Risks associated with mental stress in nursing....................................................................................6
Occupational Health Program..............................................................................................................8
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................................9
References.................................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
A fulfilling and challenging job in a good work environment is of benefit, however if the
work begins to take over it leads to employees losing their balance and developing mental stress.
The capacity of employees to have some control over their workload largely complements to the
impact work has on their life. The demands of work naturally result in stress response. It can be
an advantage in short bursts assisting one in staying alert and performing their best. However,
excessive job stress is damaging to mental health leading to mental illnesses.
Nursing is among the occupations found to lead in employees developing mental illnesses
arising from work-related causes. The following report highlights an analysis of work related
mental stress within the nursing occupation. It presents the risks of the occupation that expose
these workforce to mental stress and the control measures applicable to regulate them. By
identifying the features of the workplace and the risks within it, an occupational health program
is developed that will assist to address the issue.
Characteristics of nursing that lead to occupational stress
Workplace aspects that have been discovered to be linked with stress and health risks can
be grouped into those linked with the work content and the ones linked with the organizational
and social context of work. The nursing field has many elements that can trigger mental stress
among the employees. Several factors leading to work related stress are particularly unique to the
job (Government of Canada, 2019). One is the long working hours that nurse providers usually
serve. The nature of nursing in many instances forces the nurses to extend their working hours
and also work during odd hours like night shifts, these result in the nurses developing stress
related situations. Also, the nursing occupation increases the stress levels of the nurses as it

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exposes them to health hazards any time they are at work. A main stressor is that nurses pay a
heavy price linked to infectious diseases. Due to the nature of the occupation, health
professionals come into contact with biological dangers through patients while using sharp
equipment such as needles and through skin contact. The nurses are exposed to the similar
active infection dangers like the patients by handling their blood and body parts. In addition, the
use of chemical substances in the health facilities along with using dangerous material and
equipment such as those used in chemotherapy, places the nurses at health risks.
Researchers agree that apart from the nursing, management and organizational factors
also influence the stress nurses go through at work. Potential sources of stress for health
professionals seem to be organizational in nature such as stress generated nursing work situations
that are social, psychological or physical in nature (Smith, 2018). Various management factors
lead to mental stress among nurses including responding to the psychological and physical status
of the patients, increased job demands, using complex technologies, nursing shortages,
competition among hospitals, work overload and lack of task feedback and autonomy, and
minimized advancement opportunities. All these are key determinants of emotional exhaustion.
Ambiguity and role conflict in the nursing occupation have been proven to lead to stressful
characteristics among the providers. The duties and outline of the nursing occupation lack a
proper way of clarifying employee targets and individual performance. Also, studies indicate that
there are inadequate opportunities to practice the professional duties of nursing substantially
which also enhances mental stress within the employees.
Teamwork pressures are also a leading cause of stress among nurses. Pressures regarding
working together as a group like poor communication, tension as well as conflict result in the
health care providers developing mental stress. In addition to these stressors, the nurses are likely

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to develop mental stress from their innate desire to place others before themselves (Semmer,
2007). It is common among nurses to be driven to care for others first, aligning their profession
with selflessness. However, when the nurses are mainly motivated by the will to assist others, as
opposed to enjoying the work itself, they easily become stressed out.
Risks associated with mental stress in nursing
Stress results in far reaching consequences and risks for nurses. Occupational stress has
been established to be a leading work-related health issue for the nurses as well as one of the
leading cost in treating, incurred by health facilities. Mental problems are among the risks that
nurses face when going through work-related stress. Occupational stress along with its impacts
on the behavior of nurses creates mental problems such as depression, insomnia, anxiety as well
as feelings of inadequacy. Psychological disorders have been placed among the ten leading
work-related injuries by the National Institute for Occupational Safety reporting to the world
Health Organization that close to 75 percent of patients seeking psychiatric consultation are
experiencing difficulties with job stress and satisfaction (S.Michie, 2018).
Another risk that nurses face from undergoing mental stress due to their occupation is its
effect on their physical health. The health care providers experience stress related physical
illnesses such as hypertension, migraines, and muscle, joint and back pain, irritable bowel
syndrome as well as duodenal ulcers. The physical complications have been proven to arise from
mental stress as recent evidence from researchers shows psychological factors influence the
immune function (Beyond blue, 2019). Stress and other psychological aspects influence the onset
and growth of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Mental stress also results in problems in
staff behavior. Stress has a substantial effect on individual nurses and their capacity to complete
tasks and is a contributor to lack of concentration, poor decision making, reduced motivation,

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apathy as well as anxiety. These impair the job performance of the nurses leading to
uncharacteristic errors in the health care facilities. Mental stress contributes directly towards
absenteeism, reduced work performance and also exhaustion. Nurses experiencing stress are
likely to abuse drugs, eat poorly and pick smoking habits leading to negative health conditions
affecting their personal well-being. A strong negative link between nurses’ work related stress
and job satisfaction has been established based on the growing turnover rate that is causing more
nurses to leave the nursing profession due to the growing occupational stress.
Creating a work environment that promotes and supports the wellbeing of the mental
state of the nurses is ethically responsible. It ensures the health facility meets standard
requirements of providing an environment that is both mentally and physically healthy and safe
(Headsup, 2017). Employers need to follow several legal obligations to boost the mental health
of nurses in the workplace. They include, making effective adjustments for the nurses with a
mental health condition, safeguarding the privacy of the staff member with a mental health
condition and making sure that they do not take adverse action against a nurse who is undergoing
mental stress such as suspending them or terminating their job. Furthermore, multiple ethical
factors are considered by reducing the stress related to the nursing occupation. Health services
look to enjoy multiple benefits from having a mentally healthy workplace including; patient
experiences are improved when the nurses feel they have a good working environment, have
reduced emotional exhaustion and have adequate support from their supervisors and co-workers.
Also, expenditure on a mentally health workplace subsequently results in a positive return on
investment. Furthermore, a health center that creates and sustains a great working place attracts
and retains the best nurses and the more they are engaged, the more willing they become to

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extend an extra hand. Eventually it results in improved productivity, quality as well as
performance.
Change is required in the nursing field by finding ways that enhance mental health and wellness
among the staff (Constantinidis, 2018). One of the changes could be promoting healthy work-life
balance by implementing a work schedule that gives nurses sufficient time away from their
duties. One way would be to insist the providers take vacations and days off and encouraging
them to build a rich, full life outside the workplace.
The nursing field puts the staff under pressure making the health providers prone to
mental stress. Several control measures can however be implemented to enhance mental wellness
and improved health (Makinen Μ, 2015). One would be to offer free screening tools. The work
places could offer free screening tools that assist the nurses anonymously evaluate their risk
factors. This would promote employees to seek treatment after recognizing they are at risk for
certain conditions like anxiety or depression.
Occupational Health Program
An occupational health program would be effective in reducing mental stress among
nurses. The program should help address mental ill health risks at the health care centers,
generating substantial benefits for the nurses and the entire industry likewise. The goals of the
program would be to increase nurse productivity, minimize the cost of nurses’ healthcare and
increasing employee engagement leading to minimized turnover (Keyrel, 2018). A number of
steps will be taken in developing the program. The first step would be to set objectives that will
benefit the staff and hospital. The objectives need to clearly indicate the aim of the program and
target beneficiaries, in this case, the nurses. This is followed by creating a team to develop the

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employee wellness program. The team developing the program needs experienced members
familiar with mental conditions to professionally create the program. The final step is creating
the program. The team then gets to work planning the program. Some of the activities they
could include in the wellness program include fitness activities, general health benefits, mental
health and stress release activities as well as social activities.
The program could be monitored and evaluated for success to assess how effective it is in
treating mental stress and promoting mental health within the nursing field. One way of doing
this is by assessing its return on investment. The return on investment from the program is
determined from examining the impacts of financial incentives on the nurses’ participation in the
program. Another is by investigating the number of individuals who benefit from the wellness
programs (Morin, 2018). An ideal program is one which results in treating a significant number
of people experiencing mental stress associated with their work. Also, estimating the causal
impact of workplace wellness on the nurses’ health behaviors, healthcare behaviors, well-being
as well as productivity will gauge the effectiveness of the program.
Questionnaires and surveys could be used to evaluate if the wellness program is effective
and successful in treating the mental stress condition within the nursing field (L, 2016).
Participants in the programs can fill in questionnaires with questions trying to ascertain how
much they gained from the program’s exercises.
Conclusion
It is common for nurses to develop work-related stress especially since their work
environment is surrounded by triggers of the same. Several intrinsic factors make the nursing

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10
occupation vulnerable to mental stress such as extensive working hours and exposure to health
hazards from interacting with patients. Several risks lurk when nurses experience work-related
stress including deteriorating in their physical as well as mental health. Health facilities also
record poor performance arising from lack of motivation in the workforce contributed by the
providers experiencing mental stress. Wellness programs are effective strategies in treating and
controlling mental stress in nursing. The programs are designed by professionals in treating
mental-related issues and consists of activities aimed at minimizing work-related stress. An
added advantage of implementing a wellness program is its capacity to allow investigators to
assess its performance.

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11
References
Beyond blue. (2019). Workplace stress. Retrieved from Headsup:
https://www.headsup.org.au/healthy-workplaces/workplace-stressors
Constantinidis, Ε. M. (2018). Sources and effects of work-related stress in nursing. Health
Science Journal, 45-67.
Government of Canada. (2019). OSH Answers Fact Sheets. Retrieved from Canadian Centre for
Occupational Health and Safety:
https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/stress.html
Headsup. (2017). Developing a workplace mental health strategy. Retrieved from
Bluestaronline: https://das.bluestaronline.com.au/api/prism/document?token=BL/1728
Keyrel, A. d. (2018, June 13). The Biggest Causes of Nurse Burnout and What You Can Do.
Retrieved from Meded web solutions: https://www.mededwebs.com/blog/well-being-
index/the-biggest-causes-of-nurse-burnout-and-what-you-can-do
L, T. N. (2016, June). Work-related stress. Retrieved from CIPD Stress at work:
http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/health/stress/stress.htm
Makinen Μ, Κ. E. (2015). Organization of nursing care and stressful work characteristics.
Journal of Advanced Nursing, 197-205.
Morin, A. (2018, May 24). 8 Simple Ways to Create a Mentally Healthier Workplace. Retrieved
from Inc: https://www.inc.com/amy-morin/8-simple-ways-to-create-a-mentally-healthier-
workplace.html

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S.Michie. (2018). CAUSES AND MANAGEMENT OF STRESS AT WORK . Retrieved from
Occupational and environmetal medicine: https://oem.bmj.com/content/59/1/67
Semmer, N. K. (2007, February 14 ). Stress at the workplace. Retrieved from World Health
Organization: https://www.who.int/occupational_health/topics/stressatwp/en/
Smith, J. S. (2018, November). Stress in the Workplace. Retrieved from HelpGuide:
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-in-the-workplace.htm/