Job autonomy and well-being in the nurse profession: the influence of the workplace and the training course

Journal title PSICOLOGIA DELLA SALUTE
Author/s Stefano Toderi, Guido Sarchielli, Luca Giani
Publishing Year 2013 Issue 2013/1
Language Italian Pages 22 P. 89-110 File size 465 KB
DOI 10.3280/PDS2013-001005
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

The lack of autonomy is a particularly important risk factor for the work well-being of nurses, especially after the reform that from the mid-90s has profoundly changed their professional profile. The goal of this research is to study the relationship between job autonomy and wellbeing of nurses, that are considered as an heterogeneous category on the base of workplace (wards) and type of training received (training course). The data obtained through a questionnaire administered to 69 nurses confirmed the moderating effect of both variables. Autonomy predict well-being only in the geriatricrehabilitation ward and mainly for nurses of professional training course. The results, that confirm the necessity to consider nurses as an heterogeneous category, are discussed concerning the different meaning that autonomy has in different wards and the different value that nurses with particular personal characteristics can attribute to it. These differences are fundamental in order to plan targeted interventions to reduce risk of workrelated stress.

Keywords: Nurses, process of professionalization, job autonomy, affective well-being, moderation analysis, work related stress

  1. McCarthy V.J.C., Power S. and Greiner B.A. (2010). Perceived occupational stress in nurses working in Ireland. Occupational Medicine, 60 (8): 604-610. DOI: 10.1093/occmed/kqq148
  2. Aiken L.S. and West S.G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park: Sage
  3. Benci L. (2002). Le professioni sanitarie (non mediche): aspetti giuridici, deontologici e medico-legali [Health care professions (non medical): juridical, deontological and medical- legal aspects]. Milano: McGraw-Hill
  4. Bennett P., Lowe R., Matthews V., Davali M. and Tattersale A. (2001). Stress in nurses: coping, managerial support and work demand. Stress and Health, 17: 55–63. DOI: 10.1002/1532-2998(200101)17:1<55::AID-SMI879>3.0.CO;2-2
  5. Boughn S. (1988). A lack of autonomy in the contemporary nursing student: a comparative study. Journal of Nursing Education, 27 (4): 150-155.
  6. Capodoglio E.M. e Di Liddo E. (2007). Aspetti soggettivi della qualità di vita in operatori ospedalieri [Subjective aspects of quality of life in hospital workers]. Giornale Italiano di Medicina del Lavoro ed Ergonomia, 29, 1: A24-A29.
  7. Carnevale A. e D’Ovidio C. (2005). La professione di infermiere: aspetti giuridici, medicolegali, etico-deontologici [The nurse profession: juridical, medical-legal, ethicaldeontological aspects]. Padova: Piccin.
  8. Cohen J., Cohen P., West S.G. and Aiken L.S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum
  9. Converso D., Gattino S. e Loera B. (2009). Antecedenti della sindrome di burnout nella sanità pubblica: fattori interpersonali ed organizzativi [Determinants of the burnout syndrome in public health: interpersonal and organizational factors]. Risorsa Uomo, 15 (3): 241-258. DOI: 10.3280/RU2009-003003
  10. Edwards J.A., Webster S., Van Laar D. and Easton, S. (2008). Psychometric analysis of the UK Health and Safety Executive’s Management Standards work-related stress Indicator Tool. Work & Stress, 22 (2): 96-107. DOI: 10.1080/02678370802166599
  11. Escribà-Agüir V. and Pérez-Hoyos S. (2007). Psychological well-being and psychosocial work environment characteristics among emergency medical and nursing staff. Stress and Health, 23: 153-160. DOI: 10.1002/smi.1131
  12. Frazier P.A., Tix A.P. and Barron K.E. (2004). Testing Moderator and Mediator Effects in Counseling Psychology Research. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51 (1): 115-134. DOI: 10.1037/0022-0167.51.1.115
  13. Fung-kam L. (1998). Job satisfaction and autonomy of Hong Kong registered nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 27 (2): 355-363.
  14. Hayes L.J., O’Brien-Pallasa L., Duffield C., Shamian J., Buchan J., Hughes F., Laschinger H.K.S., North N. and Stone P.W. (2006). Nurse turnover: A literature review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 43: 237-263. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2005.02.007
  15. Holmbeck G.N. (1997). Toward terminological, conceptual, and statistical clarity in the study of mediators and moderators: Examples from the child-clinical and pediatric psychology literatures. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65: 599-610. DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.65.4.599
  16. Jahoda M. (1982). Employment and unemployment: A social- psychological analysis. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
  17. Jeurissen T. and Nyklícek I. (2001). Testing the vitamin model of job stress in dutch health care workers. Work and Stress, 15 (3): 254-264. DOI: 10.1080/02678370110066607
  18. Keyes C.L.M. (2005). Mental illness and/or mental health? Investigating axioms of the complete state model of health. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73: 539- 548. DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.73.3.539
  19. Kramer M. and Schmalenberg C. (2003). Magnet hospital staff nurses describe clinical autonomy. Nursing Outlook, 51 (1): 13-19. DOI: 10.1067/mno.2003.4
  20. Kramer M. and Schmalenberg C. (2008). The practice of clinical autonomy in hospitals: 20 000 nurses tell their story. Critical Care Nurse, 28 (6): 58-71.
  21. Lu H., Barriball K.L., Zhang X. and While A.E. (2012). Job satisfaction among hospital nurses revisited: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 49 (8): 1017-1038. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2011.11.009
  22. Mäkikangas A., Feldt T. and Kinnunen U. (2007). Warr’s scale of job-related affective wellbeing: A longitudinal examination of its structure and relationships with work characteristics. Work and Stress, 21 (3): 197-219. DOI: 10.1080/02678370701662151
  23. Marschall J. (1980). Stress among nurses. In: Copper C.L. and Marschall J., editors, White, Collar and Professional Stress. New York: John Wiley & son, pp. 19-57.
  24. Maslach C. (1993). Burnout: The Cost of Caring. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall
  25. Motta P.C. (2001). Linee guida, clinical pathway e procedure per la pratica infermieristica: un inquadramento concettuale e metodologico [Guidelines, clinical pathways and procedures for the nursing practice: a conceptual and methodological framework]. Nursing Oggi, 4: 27-36
  26. Nübling M., Vomstein M., Schmidt S., Gregersen S., Dulon M. and Nienhaus A. (2010). Psychosocial work load and stress in the geriatric care. BMC Public Health, 10: 428- 440. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-10-428
  27. Smith H., Tallman, R. and Kelly K.D. (2006). Magnet Hospital Characteristics and Northern Canadian Nurses’ Job Satisfaction. Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership, 19 (3): 73- 84.
  28. Staggs V.S. and Dunton N. (2012). Hospital and unit characteristics associated with nursing turnover include skill mix but not staffing level: An observational cross-sectional study. International Journal of Nursing Studies. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2012.03.009
  29. Steen N., Firth H.W.B. and Bond S. (1998). Relation between work stress and job performance in nursing: A comparison of models. Structural Equation Modeling, 5 (2): 125- 142. DOI: 10.1080/10705519809540096
  30. Takase M., Oba K. and Yamashita N. (2009). Generational differences in factors influencing job turnover among Japanese nurses: An exploratory comparative design. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 46 (7): 957-967. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2007.10.013
  31. Toderi S., Balducci C., Edwards J.A., Sarchielli G., Broccoli M. and Mancini G. (2012). Psychometric properties of the UK and Italian versions of the HSE Stress Indicator Tool: A cross-cultural investigation. European Journal of Psychological Assessment. DOI: 10.1027/1015-5759/a000122
  32. Upenieks V.V. (2003). The interrelationship between organizational characteristics of magnet hospitals, nursing leadership, and nursing job satisfaction. The Health Care Manager, 22 (2): 83-98.
  33. Van Der Doef M. and Maes S. (1999). The Job demand-control (-support) model and psychological well-being: a review of 20 years of empirical research. Work & Stress, 13 (2): 87-114. DOI: 10.1080/026783799296084
  34. Warr P. (1987). Work, Unemployment, and Mental Health. Oxford: Clarendon Press
  35. Warr P. (1990). The measurement of well-being and other aspects of mental health. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 63: 193-210. DOI: 10.1111/j.2044-8325.1990.tb00521.x
  36. Warr P. (1994). A conceptual framework for the study of work and mental health. Work & Stress, 8 (2): 84-97. DOI: 10.1080/02678379408259982

  • Stress-Preventive Management Competencies, Psychosocial Work Environments, and Affective Well-Being: A Multilevel, Multisource Investigation Stefano Toderi, Cristian Balducci, in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health /2018 pp.397
    DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15030397
  • Reducing psychosocial risks through supervisors' development: A contribution for a brief version of the “Stress Management Competency Indicator Tool” Stefano Toderi, Andrea Gaggia, Cristian Balducci, Guido Sarchielli, in Science of The Total Environment /2015 pp.345
    DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.02.082
  • Il benessere nei vigili del fuoco volontari: la mindfulness come risorsa psicologica Piergiorgio Argentero, Ilaria Setti, in PSICOLOGIA DELLA SALUTE 2/2015 pp.101
    DOI: 10.3280/PDS2015-002006

Stefano Toderi, Guido Sarchielli, Luca Giani, Autonomia lavorativa e benessere nella professione infermieristica: l’influenza del contesto di lavoro e del percorso formativo in "PSICOLOGIA DELLA SALUTE" 1/2013, pp 89-110, DOI: 10.3280/PDS2013-001005