The Measured Intensity of Work-Related Stressprs in Pediatric Oncology Nursing

Abstract

The purpose of this descriptive study was to measure the rated intensity of work-related stressors experienced by pediatric oncology nurses and to examine the reliability of a new instrument. The Stressor Scale for Pediatric Oncology Nurses (SSPON), a 50-item visual analogue instrument, was used to measure the intensity of those work-related stressors. A national sample (n = 92) of randomly selected members of the Association of Pediatric Oncology Nurses participated. Although most subjects had 2 or more years of pediatric oncology nursing experience (92%), the majority had greater than 5 years of experience (52%). Median scores on the SSPON indicated that the nurses sampled experienced a moderately high level of work stress. Scale items rated most stressful were "watching a patient suffer and not be able to do anything about it," "when a favorite patient dies," and "making mistakes:' Scale items rated least stressful were "when patients die at home rather than here at the hospital with us," "not feeling comfortable with my skills," and "when I can't answer a question about my patient." A comparison of total scale scores, using a t-test for independent samples, indicated that nurses with less than 5 years of pediatric oncology experience (n = 44) did not differ significantly from nurses with greater than 5 years of pediatric oncology experience (n = 48; t = 1.30, P = .199), in relation to intensity of work-related stress. Reliability was estimated using coefficient alpha. The total scale SSPON was found to be internally consistent (coefficient α = 0.93). However, the SSPON's six clusters need to be further refined, modified, and developed because of low coefficient alphas.