Masters Degrees (DHS)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (DHS) by Author "Awuku, Esther N."

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    Stress, work engagement and psychological well-being of nurses at State Hospitals in Windhoek, Rehoboth and Okahandja
    (2013) Awuku, Esther N.
    Nursing is considered as being intrinsically stressful because nurses are exposed to dangers such as viruses, bacteria, needle-prick injuries and other hazards on a daily basis. Thus, this study set out to investigate the stress, work engagement, and psychological well-being of nurses working at state hospitals in Windhoek, Rehoboth and Okahandja. The objective of the study was to determine the levels as well as the relationships between stress, work engagement, and psychological well-being of the nurses in the study. The positive psychology paradigm which focuses on initiating a change in psychology from pre-occupation with repairing the worst things in life to also building the best qualities in life formed the theoretical basis of the study. This study used a quantitative approach which relied on the survey design. The sample consisted of a convenience sample (n=150) of nurses working at the state hospitals. A self-designed demographic questionnaire, the Nursing Stress Inventory (NSI)), the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) were utilized to determine the stress, work engagement and the psychological well-being of the nurses. The results of the study revealed that, shortage of staff and irregular working hours were the most severe stressors for the nurses. The nurses also showed high dedication to their work. Furthermore, the results revealed that although the stress levels of nurses were relatively high, the nurses’ level of psychological well-being was also significantly high. The main conclusion drawn from this study is that the psychological wellbeing and work engagement of nurses are high, irrespective of the nurses’ high stress levels. It is therefore recommended that systems and interventions are put into place to reduce the stress levels of nurses and to maintain their high dedication and psychological wellbeing levels.