Understanding the Night Shift Stress of Nurses: A Point Prevalence Study

erçelik h. c., Çamlıca T., ÖZKAN A.

Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi, cilt.32, sa.2, ss.129-138, 2025 (TRDizin)

Özet

Objective This study aims to investigate the stress levels and stressors experienced by nurses during the night shift. Material and Method This point prevalence study was designed as a descriptive and cross-sectional study, and it was conducted with 73 nurses in a university hospital. The study data were collected with a personal information form that was designed by the researchers and a nurse stress identification form. Results It was concluded that the stress levels of nurses were above the average, with 106 points (27 lowest and 164 highest). Nurses who were frequently working at night shifts were found to have higher stress levels compared to those working less at night shifts. Besides, it was also noted that those who were satisfied with their jobs had lower stress levels. The most significant stress sources for nurses were understaffing, heavy workload, and limited career opportunities. Conclusion It was consequently reported that this study presented evidence based data on nurses’ stress levels and their stress sources as well as potential precautions to prevent job stress. It was recommended to regularly conduct point prevalence studies to determine the levels of stress and stressors to develop solution based approaches.