Abstract:
Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system, offering 24-hour care, patient advocacy,
and mediation between patients and other healthcare personnel. The purpose of this research
was to establish the correlation between job stress and job satisfaction among nurses employed
at Apeksha Hospital, a cancer treatment hospital in Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional quantitative
design was conducted among 248 nurses selected through convenience sampling. Data collection
involved a self-administered questionnaire consisting of three sections: demographics, the
Nurses Stress Scale (NSS) to assess stress levels across seven subscales, and the Minnesota
Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) to measure job satisfaction. A pre-test with 20 participants
ensured clarity of the questionnaire, and ethical approval and informed consent were obtained.
Among 248 nurses’ majority were aged 26-30 Years (39.9%, n=99), female (88.7%, n=220),
Sinhala (99.2%, n=246), Buddhist (97.6%, n=242), married (61.7%, n=153), and Grade II
nurses (68.5%, n=170). 95.6% of nurses experienced moderate stress, while 4.4% reported
high stress levels. Regarding job satisfaction, 37.5% of nurses reported high satisfaction, 41.1%
had moderate satisfaction, and 21% experienced low satisfaction. Statistical analysis using chisquare
tests and Friedman’s test indicated a significant inverse relationship between occupational
stress and job satisfaction (p< 0.05, r = -0.372), implying that increased stress levels
corresponded with reduced job satisfaction. Further job satisfaction showed a significant relationship
with nursing grade (p = 0.047). The study highlighted the need for stress management
programs and counseling services to reduce stress and enhance job satisfaction. Addressing occupational
stress can further improve job satisfaction. Future research should adopt longitudinal
designs and include multiple healthcare settings to better understand the dynamics between occupational
stress and job satisfaction in nursing.
