INTRODUCTION:

Background of the Study:

Work-related stress has emerged as a critical challenge facing nursing officers, significantly impacting their quality of life (QoL). The dynamics of nursing environments are particularly punctuated by high-pressure situations, prolonged hours, emotional labor, and the necessity to make critical decisions, all of which collectively foster an atmosphere rife with stress-related issues.¹

Nurses are experiencing work-related stress which affects their quality of life. The nursing context is a highly stressful, time-consuming, emotionally laden ward with nursing caregivers having to make major decisions. Under such conditions, nurses work in a tensed environment which is detrimental for their health and functioning that can hamper the performance.²

Nurses have high rates of burnout due to the physical and emotional demands of patient care. They frequently encounter moral dilemmas, financial restraints, and a demand to provide quality care in difficult circumstances. Long-term stress can result in problems for physical health, mental well-being and life satisfaction.³The effects of work-related stress are not limited to the nurses but also extend to patient care and the organizations where they work. For most stressed nurses, concentration is down, there are more mistakes and less empathy, both of which have a potential impact on patient safety and satisfaction.⁴

After surveying 350 nursing officers in military hospitals in the ROK Armed Forces, Kim EH, Cho YC. (2012) found that older age, alcohol consumption, greater position, a longer career, and working in a general ward were related to greater satisfaction. Further predictors of increased satisfaction were good job fit, no thoughts about leaving, low job demand, high autonomy, and high supervisor support. Most importantly, work stress was significantly associated with work satisfaction; therefore, steps should be taken to improve work conditions, reduce work stressors, and create a supportive and motivating work environment to improve the motivation and retention of nursing officers.⁵

Ghawadra SF, Abdullah KL, Choo WY, Phang CK. (2019) In a Malaysian teaching hospital found that 41% of nurses suffered from psychological distress; high level of stress (14.4%), anxiety (39.3%) and depression (18.8%) being prevalent. Job satisfaction was high at 92%, but those with less satisfaction had markedly higher stress and depression. Single and widowed nurses and nurses aged 26--30 were the most affected, least affected were married nurses. Depression was higher in pediatric nurses compared with nurses of all other departments. The results provide evidence of the link between job-related stress and psychological distress, and suggest that hospital administrators should consider promoting better work environment and support systems, especially among vulnerable workforces.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:

1. To ascertain the degree of stress experienced by nursing professionals employed in a designated hospital in Sambalpur.

2. To assess the degree of job satisfaction experienced by Nursing Officers employed in a selected hospital in Sambalpur.

3. To investigate the relationship between stress levels and job satisfaction among nursing professionals employed at a selected hospital in Sambalpur.

4. To investigate the relationship between stress levels and job satisfaction in relation to specific demographic variables among Nursing Officers in a selected hospital in Sambalpur.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

The quantitative, descriptive study examined the stress and job satisfaction of 100 nursing officers at the Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) in Burla, Odisha. We used non-experimental, non-probability purposive sampling based on eligibility criteria. Slovin's formula determined sample size. We collected data using a three-part self-structured questionnaire. Demographic information (10 items), stress (35 items spanning 12 domains, including workload, time pressure, lack of assistance, and job recognition), and job satisfaction (15 items) were asked in order. The results of both 5-point Likert scales divided respondents into stress and contentment groups. Reviewing the literature, generating plans, engaging with experts (six nurses and four doctors), and making adjustments based on feedback ensured the tool was valid. With r = 0.81, the test-retest method was reliable. Twenty nursing officers from Sambalpur's District Headquarters Hospital participated in a pilot study to test it. After the Institutional Research Committee obtained ethical permission, all participants signed a form agreeing. Data collection took four weeks and was easier because ward in-charges collaborated. Descriptive statistics like frequency and percentage aggregated demographic information, and Pearson's or Spearman's correlation examined stress and work satisfaction. At 0.05 significance, we examined demographic associations using chi-square tests. The study protected privacy and gave participants a choice.

RESULTS:

Description of the Samples According to Frequency and Percentage:

The demographic profile of the 100 nursing officers surveyed indicates that the workforce is predominantly female (75%), with the majority lying within the 21–40 age range (65%). According to their educational backgrounds, 96% of the participants had a diploma (GNM) or a bachelor's degree (BSc) in nursing, and only 4% had a master's degree. The majority of people who answered were Hindu (61%), followed by Christians (29%) and Muslims (10%). There was a very even distribution of departments among the ICU (25%), general ward (26%), emergency (25%), and OT (24%). 74% of the people were staff nursing officers, and 26% were in control of nurses. Almost 41% had worked for 0 to 5 years, while a large number (25%) had worked for more than 20 years. Seventy percent were married, and fifty-nine percent said they had kids. The most frequent family structure was the nuclear family (58%), followed by the joint or extended family (39%). This demographic spread implies that there are a lot of early-career professionals and experienced people, mostly women, working in high-pressure clinical sectors. The mix of departmental representation and different levels of expertise gives us a solid base for looking at things like job stress and satisfaction in different work and personal situations.

Level of Stress and Level of Job Satisfaction:

Figure 1: Percentage Distribution of Samples According to Level of Stress

In Figure 1, we see that the more stressed out these nurses were to begin with. Read on for details if you're not convinced by this graph! Those numbers show roughly how stressed out we were too. According to the survey, 0% of people didn't have a low, moderate or intermediate amount stress. On the other hand 41% fell into one category, 59% into both--this is really hard work and stress levels are off the chart.

Figure 2: Percentage Distribution of Samples According to Level of Job Satisfaction

As shown in Figure 2, the distribution of samples greatly by their job satisfaction level is easy to see here. The numbers tell us that 0% of people strongly disagree; 0% disagree; the research group has no views on either aspect; 17% agree and 81% strongly agree. That means overall most people are relatively happy with their jobs, very few people say they find it indifferent or unfavourable in any respect.

Correlation between Job Stress and Job Satisfaction

Table I: The Correlation between Stress and Job Satisfaction among Nursing Officers Working in Selected Hospitals in Sambalpur

Correlations		Job satisfaction scale	Stress scale
Job satisfaction scale	Pearson Correlation	1	-0.275^**
	Sig. (2-tailed)		0.006
	N	100	100
Stress scale	Pearson Correlation	-0.275^**	1
	Sig. (2-tailed)	0.006
	N	100	100
**Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Table 1 shows the correlation between stress and job satisfaction of the nursing officers in selected Sambalpur hospitals. There was a moderate negative correlation between the job satisfaction scale and stress scale (r = −0.275; p = 0.006). Both variables have a sample size (N) of 100, and the job-satisfaction scale and the stress scale correlate at 1 within themselves.

Association between Socio-Demographic Variables of the Samples and Outcomes:

In terms of the level of association, the value of chi-square of gender was 6.124 and p-value was 0.047, indicating that there was a significant association with stress levels. Likewise, gender appeared again as significant to job satisfaction (chi-square = 10.033, p = 0.040). None of the other socio-demographic variables, including age, educational level, religion, department, designation, experience, marital status, family type and having children demonstrated any statistically significant association (p>0.05) with both outcomes. This highlights the importance of gender-responsive analysis in the assessment of workforce well-being.

DISCUSSION:

In this study about the distribution of samples according to socio-demographic variables, The demographic data from 100 nursing officers shows that 96% of them are women (75%), most of them are between the ages of 21 and 40 (65%), and they either have a nursing diploma or a bachelor's degree. The religious makeup shows that most of the people in the area are Hindu (61%), followed by Christians (29%) and Muslims (10%). This shows that there is a wide range of religions in the area. 74% of the nurses work as staff nursing officers, while 26% work as nurse managers. There are equal numbers of nurses in the operation room, emergency room, general ward, and critical care unit. 41% of the people who answered have 0–5 years of experience, whereas 25% have more than 20 years of experience. The nuclear family is the most prevalent type of family, making up 58% of the nurses. A substantial number of them (70%) are married, and 59% have kids. This data shows that a mix of seasoned and new workers operate in difficult healthcare settings.

The above findings were supported by the results of the study done by Sharma P, Davey A, Davey S, Shukla A, Shrivastava K, Bansal R. (2014). The data represents a demographic breakdown of a sample population, expressed in percentages. The age distribution shows that 48% are aged 15-25, 43% are 26-35, and 9% are over 35. Gender distribution indicates 34% male and 66% female. Marital status reveals 35% are married and 65% are unmarried. Regarding the number of children, 9% have no children, 8% have 1 child, 18% have 2-3 children, and 65% report not applicable. Place of residence shows 63% live on the hospital campus, while 37% reside outside the hospital campus.⁶

In this study, with regard to the level of stress among nursing officer, 0% of people didn't have a low, moderate or intermediate amount stress. On the other hand 41% fell into one category, 59% into both--this is really hard work and stress levels are off the chart. These findings were similar to the study done by Joshi K, Sochaliya K, Modi B, Sharma L, Singh S, Kartha GP. (2021) In the job stress category among nursing staff, nearly 98% reported experiencing either moderate (52.95%) or severe (45.09%) stress levels. A mere 1.96% indicated they faced only mild stress.⁷

Regarding job satisfaction among the nursing officers in this study, 0% of people strongly disagree; 0% disagree; the research group has no views on either aspect; 17% agree and 81% strongly agree. That means overall most people are relatively happy with their jobs, very few people say they find it indifferent or unfavourable in any respect. Similarly to this result, the study done by Wali R, Aljohani H, Shakir M, Jaha A, Alhindi H. (2025) the overall satisfaction level of respondents. While 58% (n=45) of nurses were satisfied, 42% (n=32) were dissatisfied.⁸

In this study with regard to correlation between job stress and job satisfaction among nursing officer reveals that a moderate negative correlation between the job satisfaction scale and stress scale (r = −0.275; p = 0.006). Meta-analyses done by Zangaro, G.A. and Soeken, K.L. (2007), show a strong negative correlation between job stress and job satisfaction, with reported correlation coefficients of -0.609 and -0.43. This means that as job stress increases, job satisfaction decreases substantially.⁹

Nurses commonly face elevated levels of stress related to their jobs, which is significantly associated with a decline in job satisfaction. Increased stress levels are consistently related to a reduction in job satisfaction within the nursing sector. Various studies reveal that job stress is a major determinant of job satisfaction, and this association holds true across different nursing environments, including hospitals and correctional facilities.^10-12

CONCLUSION:

The research demonstrates a substantial inverse correlation between job stress and job satisfaction among nursing officers in selected hospitals located in Sambalpur, Odisha. Job stress was identified as a primary predictor of job satisfaction levels within this group. Additionally, the analysis uncovered a significant relationship between gender and both job stress and satisfaction levels. It is recommended that institutional authorities undertake specific interventions designed to alleviate the work-related stressors encountered by nursing personnel, thus improving their overall job performance.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

The author declares no conflict of interest.

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Received on 30.07.2025 Revised on 16.08.2025

Accepted on 01.09.2025 Published on 31.10.2025

Available online from November 10, 2025

Int. J. of Advances in Nursing Management. 2025;13(4):236-240.

DOI: 10.52711/2454-2652.2025.00043

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