Organizational Role Stress and Work Engagement Among Nurses in a Selected Hospital in Cairo

Abstract

Health care professionals, with particular regard to nurses, are exposed to several role stressors and demands of workplace that can adversely decrease their work engagement. Work engagement is perceived to inversely correlate with organizational role stress (ORS). The study aimed to investigate the relationship between organizational role stress and work engagement among nurses. A correlational comparative design was utilized in this study. The present study was conducted in all medical units and all surgical units with its specialties at New Kasr El Aini Teaching Hospital. The study sample composed of a convenience sample of both head nurses/charge nurses and staff nurses working in the previous selected departments. It composed of 52 head nurses/charge nurses out of 66 and 140 staff nurses out of a total of 230. Data of the present study were collected through utilizing the following two tools: The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and Organizational role stress-scale” (ORS). Findings of the present study concluded that that there was no statistical significant correlation between total organizational role stress (ORS) and total work engagement, while only significant correlation was found between total work engagement and the following ORS subscales: Inter role distance, role expectation conflict, role over load, role isolation, personal inadequacy and role ambiguity. A statistical significant difference between head nurses and staff nurses mean scores in relation to their levels of organizational role stressors as well as work engagement. The findings of this study can assist hospitals administrators and policy makers to create an attractive working climate in an effort to decrease levels of organizational role stress among nursing staff and increase their engagement. Replication of the present study on various clinical setting and different health care sectors in Egypt would also be worthwhile.