A Comparative Study on Job Stress and Coping of the Nurses in ICU and Cancer Ward

Baek, Myung Wha

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the degree of Job stress and Coping of the nurses in ICU and Cancer ward, and to compare the Job stress and Coping between two groups, and finally to get the basic information about the adequate method to promote Coping about Job stress of the nurses in ICU and Cancer ward. METHOD: The subjects of this study were 131; 62 nurses in ICU and 69 nurses in Cancer ward. Data were collected from 27th August to 14th September in 2007. The instruments for this study were Job stress scale(55 items) developed by Kim(1989), and Coping scale(32 items) developed by Lazarus and Folkman(1984) and revised by Han and Oh(1990). For the data analysis, SPSS PC/win 12.0 program was utilized for descriptive statistics, chi2- test, t-test, Pearson correlation. RESULT: The results of this study were the followings; The mean score of Job stress(range 1-5) was 2.93 in ICU nurse and 2.58 in Cancer ward nurse. There was a significant difference (t=4.453, p <.01)between them. There were significant differences in subscale of Job stress between the two groups, such as Nursing job(t=3.717, p <.01), Job circumstances(t=4.558, p <.01), Personal relations(t=3.425, p <.01), Hospital administration and ward management(t=2.94, p <.01). The mean score of Coping(range 1-4) was 2.55 in ICU nurse, and 2.54 in Cancer ward nurse; there was no significant difference. But one subscale of the Coping(Search of social support) showed significant difference(t=-2.865, p <.01). There was no significant correlation between Job stress and Coping of ICU nurse vs Cancer ward nurse except one subscale in cancer ward(correlation between Nursing Job and Coping).
CONCLUSION
The ICU nurse is higher than the Cancer ward nurse in the Job stress score significantly and lower than the Cancer unit nurse in the Coping. Based on the study results, it is needed the program development using the Coping methods in accordance with ward speciality to relieve Job stress.