Stressors and level of stress among different nursing positions and the associations with hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension: a national questionnaire survey

Background: Nurses are faced with varying job stressors depending on their positions and duties. Few previous studies have compared job stress and related chronic conditions among different nursing positions. The objectives were to compare job stressors among clinical registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and head nurses and explore the impact of job stressors and stress level on hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension. Methods: Secondary data extracted from a survey of health-care workers conducted from May to July 2014 across 113 hospitals in Taiwan was used. This analysis included 17,152 clinical registered nurses, 1438 nurse practitioners, and 2406 head nurses. Socio-demographic characteristics, job stressors, stress levels, and hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension variables were extracted. Results: Perceived stressors differed among clinical registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and head nurses, but overall stress level did not. Nurse practitioners and head nurses showed significantly higher prevalence of hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension than clinical registered nurses. Higher stress levels, age, body mass index, work hours, and caring for family members were positively associated with hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension. After adjustment for these variables, risk of hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension did not differ across the nursing positions. Conclusions: Although stressors vary by different nursing positions, overall stress level does not. Hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension are related to stress level, age, body mass index, weekly working hours, and caring for family members. Hence, alleviating job stress and avoiding long working hours are likely to reduce the risk of hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension in nurses.