Percieved work related stress, job performance, social support and intention to stay among immigrant nurses in a culturally diverse setting

• Main Author: Al-Nusair, Hussam
• Published: University of Nottingham 2017
• Subjects: WY Nursing
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.728483

This thesis measures and explores the perceived work related stress (WRS), job performance, social support and intention to stay among immigrant nurses in a multicultural nursing workforce in a diverse cultural setting at Sultan Bin Abdul-Aziz Humanitarian City (SBAHC), Riyadh region. The present research addresses gaps in the empirical literature by investigating the key work stressors experienced by immigrant nurses working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and by establishing nurses’ referent levels of work stress, social support, job performance and intention to stay in their current job. In addition, the research explores the complex relationships between work stress, social support, intention to stay and job performance. The job demand control-support (JDC-S) theory (Johnson and Hall 1988) provides the theoretical background for the thesis. This theory proposes that strain (i.e., work stress) occurs when demands (i.e., work stressors) exceed coping resources (e.g. social support). This research utilizes the case study mixed methodology approach incorporating a quantitative questionnaire survey and qualitative semi structured interviews. The eligible participants comprised 321 nurses 246 (76%) of whom returned their completed questionnaires. For the qualitative component of the study, a purposive sampling strategy was used; 20 nurses were interviewed using a semi-structured interview technique. The quantitative data revealed that nurses’ perception of WRS was occasional. The most common stressful event was Treatment” and “Death and Dying”. The reported mean for the overall job performance scale was high. The highest reported mean of the job performance subscale was for “Professional Development” and “Critical Care”, and the lowest mean was for “Leadership”. Moreover, male nurses reported higher level of stress than female nurses; the higher the number of patients, the higher the reported mean of stress by nurses. The reported mean of the Intention to Stay Scale [McCain Behavioural Commitment Scale (MBCS)] was moderate indicating that most nurses reported that they have a neutral perception of willingness to stay in their current placement. The qualitative phase indicated that the nurses within this environment were experiencing high levels of WRS and struggling to achieve cultural competence; consequently, they were having difficulties in meeting the patient’s cultural and spiritual needs as well as maintaining a high standard of care. Importantly, there was inadequate support by the organisation or supervisor to manage WRS. Nurses perceived their job performance as high, and they intended to stay at work due to the financial benefits they get compared to their home country. Immigrant nurses felt discriminated due to the pay difference. In conclusion, the present research further contributes to our understanding of WRS, social support, job performance and intention to stay among immigrant nurses in KSA. The present study demonstrates that immigrant nurses in KSA are stressed; there was a significant difference between the qualitative and quantitative results.