The Prevalence of Occupational Stress among Iranian Midwives: a Systematic review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

Abstract Background Occupational stress in midwifery is one of the undesirable factors that can lead to job burnout and even job loss, and affect the quality of treatment and care for patients. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of occupational stress among Iranian midwives.Methods Through searching national and international databases, including Scientific Information Database (SID), MagIran, Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus, a total of 9 observational studies with full texts were extracted. The meta-analysis was conducted using the random effects model, and the I2 index was used to assess heterogeneity between studies. The analyses were performed using Stata software, version 11.Results An analysis of 11 articles showed that the pooled prevalence of occupational stress in Iranian midwives was 70.85% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 58.42–83.29). Also, meta-regression analysis showed that the prevalence of occupational stress was not related to mean age (p = 0.653), work experience (p = 0.863), articles’ publication year (p = 0.158), and sample size (p = 0.292).Conclusion Occupational stress among Iranian midwives has a high prevalence that can have harmful consequences for them and patients. Therefore, the training of stress coping strategies seems to be appropriate for this group.