• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.333-344
• /
• 2013

Purpose: This study was conducted to provide baseline data to develop work patterns for nurses that are suitable to Korean hospitals. Shift work patterns and nurses' preferences for working condition were examined. Methods: Questionnaires for nurse departments and nurses were mailed to 478 hospitals from June 1 to July 30, 2012. Nurse departments of 174 hospitals and 1,409 nurses responded to the questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical program. Results: Of the nurses, 89.4% were working three shifts. Of the hospitals, 17.3% had implemented fixed night work. Although 80% of nurses preferred fixed time work, only 24.9% of hospitals had fixed working hours. Of the nurses, 57% agreed with night work as fixed but potential night nurses accounted for only 17% of the respondents. Sixty-three percent of the nurses agreed on short time work during busy hours. There were preference differences according to age, marital status and clinical career. Conclusion: As many nurses reported a preference for various flexible working patterns rather than three shift work, there is a need for new decisions on hospital policy to ensure improved working conditions for nurses and enhanced job security. Legal requirements also need to be considered for various work patterns.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.86-93
• /
• 2000

This study was conducted to find out the degree of tiredness, accumulated tendencies of fatigues in accordance with 3 types of circadian rhythms and 3 types of perceived fatigue signs such as physical, psychological and neurosensory aspects in before and after work at night. Samples were chosen from the 217 intensive care units nurses working in 13 general hospitals which had 3 shift rotating systems, Data were collected from November to December in 1999. Two hundreds seventeen respondents were classified by 3 circadian types such as 59 morning, 110 middle and 48 evening. Circadian type was measured by the circadian type scale which was designed by ${\ddot{O}}stberg$ and Home (1976). in order to estimate the level of tiredness, the investigator used the fatigue checklist designed by the Labor and Health Institute of Japan(1970). Analysis was done by frequency a percentages, ${\chi}^2$ test and repeated measures ANOVA test. The result of this study were as follow: 1. In the general characteristics of the subjects circadian types, moderate type had the large proportion at 50.7% and morning type had 27.2% and evening type had 22.1%. 2. According to the 3 types of fatigue signs, the highest general tendency was 'General weakness' and 'Feeling of headsore' for physically perceived sign, 'Drowsiness' for psychological sign, and 'Uncomfortableness in sight seeing' for neurosensory sign. 3. The most frequently complained fatigue were observed in physical symptoms among physical, mental, and neurosensual symptoms. The percentage of complained was higher after night work than before the work started. 4. There was not any statistical significant difference between the circadian type and the degree of physical, mental, neurosensory fatigue. 5. There was not any statistical significant difference in regarding to each date of night shift except difference between 1st and 2nd days of fatigue perceived physically. Therefore, the study concluded that the fatigue perceived by night shift nurses might be related with shift working condition rather than circadian types.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.37-47
• /
• 2007

Purpose: To find out the relationship between the shift work, and disrupted sleep and consequent fatigue symptoms. Methods: The questionnaires were given to 345 nurses of 4 hospitals with over 400 beds in Daejeon. Results: The shift workers showed worse subjective quality of sleep than the daytime workers, and had significantly higher frequency of "cannot get to sleep within 30 minutes", "wake up in the middle of the night" and "wake up in the early morning". The shift workers had significantly higher scores of subjective symptoms of fatigue than the daytime workers, and the fatigue was found to be the mental type. The subjective symptoms of fatigue scores were significantly higher in the group who had "cannot get to sleep within 30 minutes", "wake up in the middle of the night" and "wake up in the early morning". Conclusion: The study results indicated that the shift workers had the higher level of subjective symptoms of physical fatigue as well as the worse quality of sleep than the daytime workers. It is speculated that the factors attributable to the poor quality of sleep or sleep induction disorders of nurses of hospitals could be due in major part to adaptational difficulties resulting from frequent night shifts.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.1-17
• /
• 2024

Purpose: This descriptive study aimed to identify shift nurses' retention intention, need satisfaction, calling and vocation, and job stress, as well as the effects of these factors on retention intention. Methods: The participants of this study were 193 nurses working shifts with more than three months' clinical experience at general hospitals. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire from February 1 to 28, 2023. Nurses' Retention Index and Nurse Needs Satisfaction Scale, Korean version of the Calling and Vocational Questionnaire, Korean Occupational Stress Scale were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS/WIN 23.0 program. Independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were conducted for statistical analysis. Results: Regarding nurses' shift work, the mean scores for retention intention, needs satisfaction, calling and vocation, and job stress were 32.12±9.04, 94.87±14.74, 26.95±6.84, and 66.12±10.34. Moreover, the nurses' retention intention differed significantly by age, education level, religion, marital status, clinical experience, satisfaction with wage, and job satisfaction. Furthermore, retention intention was positively correlated with needs satisfaction and calling and vocation and negatively correlated with job stress. Needs satisfaction, and calling and vocation as well as education level of bachelor's degree, job satisfaction had positive effects on shift work nurses' retention intention. Job dissatisfaction had relatively negative effects on retention intention compared to having neutral job satisfaction. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop programs that promote needs satisfaction, calling and vocation, and job satisfaction to improve nurses' retention intention in relation to shift work; moreover, institutional support for acquiring a bachelor's degree or higher is needed.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.74-79
• /
• 2014

Objectives: Shift work is a stressful situation. It is important to know the factors associated with the ability to adapt to a shift work schedule. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between sleep, as well as personality variables, and the resilience of shift work nurses. Method: Self-report questionnaires were administered to 95 nurses who worked in one national university hospital. Connor-Davidson resilience scale, hospital anxiety and depression scale, morningness-eveningness scale, Pittsburgh sleep quality index, other sleep-related questionnaires, and Korean defense style questionnaires were used. Results: Age, shift work duration, off-day oversleep, depression, anxiety, adaptive defense style, and self-suppressive defense style were significantly associated with resilience (p < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis showed that age (${\beta}=0.34$, p < 0.05), depression (${\beta}=-0.25$, p < 0.05), adaptive defense style (${\beta}=0.45$, p < 0.001), and self-suppressive defense style (${\beta}=-0.19$, p < 0.05) significantly predicted the resilience of shift work nurses. Concerning individual defense mechanisms, resignation (${\beta}=-0.20$, p < 0.05), sublimation (${\beta}=0.19$, p < 0.05), omnipotence (${\beta}=0.19$, p < 0.05), and humor (${\beta}=0.20$, p < 0.05) significantly predicted the resiliency. Conclusion: The findings indicate that a specific defense style and other mechanisms were associated with the resilience of shift work nurses. A future prospective study with more participants could further clarify the relationship between sleep-related variables, as well as personality factors, and resilience of shift work nurses.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.119-126
• /
• 2019

This study was conducted to examine effects of community gardening on job stress and job satisfaction experienced by public officials in general administration working in a 24-hour shift. The subjects were public officials at the Center for Missing Children in the Department of Women and Adolescents at the National Police Agency. The center receives initial reports of disappearance of missing children, the elderly with dementia, and people with intellectual disabilities, sends out the report to each police station, and clears the report after the missing individual is found. Twelve public officials working at the center in a double shift (full day off after a night shift, four-day interval) were grouped into four teams and total 11 of them participated in the experiment. They engaged in autonomous community gardening activities such as sowing seeds, cultivating plants, harvesting, or cooking in the workplace for five weeks from August 19 to September 22, 2018. The findings were as follows. After five weeks of autonomous gardening activities, job stress of the subjects decreased significantly. Their mean scores of job satisfaction and organizational commitment under organizational effectiveness showed a significant increase after the activities. Finally, there were significant differences in their self-esteem after participating in the gardening activities in the workplace. These results suggest that gardening activities in the workplace can help to manage job stress and quality of work life for shift workers.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.549-561
• /
• 2009

Purpose: Work-related stress and risk factors among Korean employees were identified in this study. Methods: Data were obtained from employees aged 20 to 64 using the Korean Working Conditions Survey 2006 (KWCS). Multiple logistic regression analysis using SAS version 9.1 was performed to examine risk factors of work-related stress by gender. Results: The age-adjusted prevalence of work-related stress among male and female employees was 18.4% and 15.1% respectively. After adjustments for multiple variables among both male and female employees, there was a significant relationship between work-related stress and risk factors including education, company size, work time, ergonomic risks, biological chemical risks, and job demands. The significant variables for male employees were housework load, occupational class, and shift work, and for female employees, type of employment. Conclusion: There is a need to develop and support intensive stress management programs nationally giving consideration to work-related stress associated with working time, physical working environment, and job demands. Based on gender specific approaches, for male employes, stress management programs should be developed with consideration being given to occupational class and shift work. For stress management programs for female employees, consideration needs to be given to permanent employment status, specifically those in small companies.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.163-171
• /
• 2011

Purpose: This study is to investigate the job stress and presenteeism of nurses with work shift. Methods: The data were collected through questionnaires from 281 clinical nurses working for a university hospital located in D city from 13 to 28 of February, 2009. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe verification test, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression using SPSS/WIN 16.0. Results: The mean score of job stress was 3.47. Work overload and psychological burden scored the highest point as the sub-category of work stress factor. Work performance loss out of presenteeism showed 26.89 and perceived productivity, 79.79. Also 94.7% of respondents answered they had health problems. A significantly positive correlation was found among job stress, work performance loss and health issue. To determine the factors affecting presenteeism, work performance loss was associated with work overload and perceived productivity with interpersonal relationship conflict. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, job stress is positively correlated with work performance loss, and health problems. Therefore, health problems of nurses with work shift need to be considered and plans to manage their job stress affecting presenteeism need to be developed at an earlier stage.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.111-119
• /
• 2007

Firemen are directly exposed to various harmful chemicals, physical factors and mental stress during rescue and fire-fighting. In fire extinguishing, unstable posture, poisonous gas, dust, high temperature and heavy equipments are possible hazardous factors. The alertness for emergency, shift work, job strain and stress are also possibly hazardous. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of musculo-skeletal symptoms and job stress and to determine risk factors in firemen. This study was carried out in a group of 226 firemen in Busan City, Korea. Standardized Nordic Questionnaire was used to investigate the prevalence of musculo-skeletal symptoms and Psycho-social Well-being Index (abbreviated PWI) was used to investigate the prevalence of job stress. General and occupational characteristics were included education, marital status, alcohol and smoking history, working duration, and work shift system. Body mass index (BMI) scores were calculated by physical examination including height and weight. Concerning musculo-skeletal complaints, the commonest site was neck, and shoulder, lower back, upper back were the next. Complaint site above one area of body was about 80%. From multiple logistic regression analysis, working duration was significant variable in musculo-skeletal symptoms. Odds ratio were 15.4 in working duration. About 16.8% was high risk stress group. From multiple logistic regression analysis, shift work and alcohol drinking were significant variables in PWI scores. Odds ratios were 2.25 in shift work. Accordingly, interventions are needed for health promotion of long term and shift worker.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.201-209
• /
• 2017

Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the association between level of physical activity and depressive symptoms among Korean male workers. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed and anthropometric measurements were conducted with 1,379 male workers during a general health check. From this data, we identified the general characteristics, levels of physical activity(IPAQ), and depressive symptoms(CES-D) of the study population. We conducted univariate logistic regression to verify the variables that affect depressive symptoms and multivariate logistic regression to calculate odds ratios. Results: Among the 1,379 male workers, 43.4% were in the insufficiently active group(IPAQ category 1) and 22.8% were in the depressive symptom group($CES-D{\geq}16$). The odds ratio(OR) for depressive symptoms was statistically higher in the insufficiently active group, workers aged over 30, the shift work group, and the unmarried group. Adjusted for those variables, the ORs for depressive symptoms were found to be 1.45(95% CI=1.25-2.11), 1.15(OR=1.15, 95% CI=1.08-1.99) and 1.75(95% CI=1.48-2.02), for the insufficiently active group, workers aged over 30, and the shift work group, respectively. Conclusions: We found physical inactivity, age, marital status, and shift work to be associated with depressive symptoms among male workers. This study supports the suggestion that physical activity can be helpful to reduce depressive symptoms among workers.