Linkage between role stress and work engagement among specialty nurses: a cross-sectional study of China

Objectives
Specialty nurses play a significant role in improving patient care; however, little is known about the factors affecting their work engagement. This study aimed to explore the relationship between role stress and work engagement among specialty nurses in China.

Design
A descriptive, cross-sectional study was applied in this study.

Setting
The study was conducted in the Henan Provincial People’s Hospital in China.

Participants
From March to April 2023, we conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study, using convenience sampling to recruit 972 specialty nurses from 42 specialised fields in China.

Methods
An online questionnaire survey was conducted using the Basic Information Questionnaire, Role Stress Scale and Specialty Nurse Work Engagement Scale. The collected data were analysed by using SPSS 21.0 software. The differences in total work engagement scores between subgroups were investigated using a single-factor analysis of variance. A Spearman’s rank correlation and a Pearson’s correlation were used to determine the relationship between general information, role stress and work engagement. A ridge regression analysis explored the impact of role stress on work engagement.

Results
The total score of role stress was (52.44±19.92) and the total score of work engagement was (140.27±17.76). Among the scores of various dimensions of specialty nurses’ work engagement, the standardised score for work attitude was the highest (4.54±0.56), followed by work values (4.46±0.64); the standardised score of work enthusiasm and focus was the lowest (4.22±0.64). Additionally, role ambiguity (r=–0.352, p

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Agosto 2024

How is momentary well-being and stress associated in persons with spinal cord injury and their romantic partners? A study protocol for a dyadic everyday life study

Introduction
Very little is known about daily life dynamics and mutual influences that tie together well-being and psychobiological stress responses in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) and their romantic partners in particular. The role of social support and physical activity in the associations between emotional well-being and stress has not been investigated in the context of SCI yet and studies applying a dyadic approach, exploring the role of a romantic partner, are currently unavailable. The overall objective is thus to better understand the interplay between emotional well-being and the psychobiological stress marker cortisol, and to investigate the potentially moderating role of social support and physical activity in the well-being–stress association among persons with SCI and their romantic partners using a dyadic perspective.

Methods and analysis
The stRess and Health Among romantic couPles with Spinal cOrD injurY study, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (10001C_204739), aims to recruit N=150 community-dwelling persons with SCI and their romantic partners including three phases of data collection. The first phase includes a baseline questionnaire. The second phase, the time sampling phase, comprises an ecological momentary assessment design in the everyday life of couples where both partners provide concurrent salivary cortisol samples five times a day and complete assessments four times a day over seven consecutive days. Wrist-worn accelerometers record physical activity during this period. The third phase is an observational study in the laboratory, where a couples’ discussion on the SCI management in their everyday life is recorded and coded to identify a couple-specific coping with SCI to enrich data. The dyadic data will be analysed using multilevel modelling, based on the actor–partner interdependence model framework.

Ethics and dissemination
The study was approved by the ethics committee of Northwest and Central Switzerland (2022–01072) and findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

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Luglio 2024

Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms following exposure to acute psychological trauma in children aged 8-16 years in South Africa: protocol for the Sinethemba longitudinal study

Introduction
Children exposed to trauma are vulnerable to developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other adverse mental health outcomes. In low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), children are at increased risk of exposure to severe trauma and co-occurring adversities. However, relative to high-income countries, there is limited evidence of the factors that predict good versus poor psychological recovery following trauma exposure in LMIC children, and the role of caregiver support in these high-adversity communities.

Methods and analysis
We will conduct a longitudinal, observational study of 250 children aged 8–16 years and their caregivers in South Africa, following child exposure to acute trauma. Dyads will be recruited from community hospitals following a potentially traumatic event, such as a motor vehicle accident or assault. Potential participants will be identified during their hospital visit, and if they agree, will subsequently be contacted by study researchers. Assessments will take place within 4 weeks of the traumatic event, with 3-month and 6-month follow-up assessments. Participants will provide a narrative description of the traumatic event and complete questionnaires designed to give information about social and psychological risk factors. Child PTSD symptoms will be the primary outcome, and wider trauma-related mental health (depression, anxiety, behavioural problems) will be secondary outcomes. Regression-based methods will be used to examine the association of psychosocial factors in the acute phase following trauma, including caregiver support and responding, with child PTSD and wider mental health outcomes.

Ethics and dissemination
Ethical approvals have been granted by Stellenbosch University and the University of Bath, with additional approvals to recruit via hospitals and healthcare clinics being granted by the University of Cape Town, the Department of Health and the City of Cape Town. Study findings will be disseminated via publication in journals, workshops for practitioners and policy-makers, and public engagement events.

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Luglio 2024

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders, fatigue and stress among gas station workers in China: a cross-sectional study

Introduction
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are disorders of the musculoskeletal system that have the highest prevalence among workers worldwide. Workers in gas stations usually work in poor ergonomic working conditions, including prolonged standing and repetitive posturing.

Objective
The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of WMSDs and fatigue and to identify the predictors of WMSDs among gas station workers.

Design
The present study was a cross-sectional study.

Setting and participants
2962 gas station workers from an oil and gas company in China, with ages ranging from 17 to 75 years old, 55.47% female.

Results
The prevalence of WMSDs within the 12 months prior to the study was 73.23%, with the highest prevalence in the neck, shoulders, ankles and feet. Furthermore, a correlation was observed between fatigue, stress and WMSDs. Fatigue and job role were the strongest predictors of WMSDs, with an OR range of 2.211–3.413.

Conclusions
This research identified the detrimental impact of WMSDs and fatigue on gas station workers, indicating the critical need for interventions to reduce WMSDs and relieve fatigue.

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Luglio 2024

Effect of occupational stress and resilience on insomnia among nurses during COVID-19 in China: a structural equation modelling analysis

Objectives
To explore the effects of occupational stress and resilience on insomnia among Chinese nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design, settings and participants
A quantitative description study. The data were collected via a cross-sectional survey. A total of 725 front-line nurses at three tertiary hospitals in western China were included from December 2022 to January 2023. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Job Content Questionnaire, and Athens Insomnia Scale were used to collect data from a self-reported online questionnaire.

Outcome measures
The outcome variable was insomnia, and structural equation modelling was used to assess the associations among resilience, occupational stress and insomnia.

Results
The prevalence of insomnia among the participants was 58.76%. The structural equation model showed that resilience had a negative direct effect on insomnia and occupational stress, and occupational stress had a positive direct effect on insomnia. Involvement in COVID-19-related work has a positive effect on insomnia through occupational stress. In contrast, higher education levels improved insomnia through increased resilience.

Conclusion
A significantly higher prevalence of insomnia has been observed among Chinese nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study suggests that better resilience may improve insomnia by relieving occupational stress, and implementing measures to promote resilience is essential to reduce occupational stress in nurses and improve their sleep quality.

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Luglio 2024

Efficacy of MRI-guided rTMS for post-traumatic stress disorder by modulating amygdala activity: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Introduction
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent and severe psychiatric disorder. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex provides limited relief for symptoms of PTSD. This study will be conducted to validate the efficacy of MRI-guided rTMS in targeting the sites most closely associated with the amygdala for patients with PTSD. We hypothesise that the intervention will improve clinical symptoms by decreasing amygdala activity in patients.

Methods and analysis
A randomised, double-blind, sham-controlled trial will be conducted. Forty-eight eligible patients with PTSD will be randomly assigned to receive either active or sham MRI-guided rTMS for 10 consecutive days after the initial MRI scans. MRI scans will be recollected at the end of the intervention. Clinical assessments will be performed at baseline, treatment day 5, treatment day 10, and 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks after completion of the intervention to monitor changes in clinical symptoms. The primary assessment outcome is the change in PTSD symptoms between baseline and treatment day 10, as measured by the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5. Repeated measures analysis of variance will be performed using statistical software SPSS V.26.0. The significance level will be set at 0.05.

Ethics and dissemination
Ethical approval has been obtained from the Ethics Committee of Xijing Hospital in Xi’an, China (KY20222176-X-1), and the trial has been registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. The findings of this trial will be disseminated at academic conferences or published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Trial registration number
NCT05544110.

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Luglio 2024