Psychiatric nursing staff and the workplace : perceptions of the ward atmosphere, psychosocial work environment, and stress

Major changes have taken place in psychiatric care in Sweden as well as in
other countries. These changes, and the current climate of pressure and demands
on the nursing staff in psychiatric in-patient care, make it important to
be able to understand the relationship between environmental aspects and the
nursing staff’s working conditions. The overall aim of the present thesis was to
investigate perceptions of the ward atmosphere, the psychosocial work environment
and stress among nursing staff working in psychiatric in-patient care.

The findings were based on two questionnaire surveys (65 + 93 participants)
and were analyzed using non-parametric statistics. The findings showed that a
revised Swedish version of the Ward Atmosphere Scale involved some reliability
problems that need to be addressed in future studies. Several aspects of the
ward atmosphere were found to be related to the psychosocial work environment,
and aspects of the ward atmosphere and the psychosocial work environment
were related to the nursing staff’s Perceived Stress and Stress of Conscience.
The nursing staff’s sense of Mastery was found to be a protective factor
against Stress of Conscience, while a Sense of Moral Burden increased the
vulnerability. Taking these aspects into consideration when making improvements
in the workplace could help to prevent stress.