An Investigation of the Relationship between Psychosocial Work Factors and Fatigue among Nurses

Psychosocial factors and fatigue are significant factors in nurses’
performance. Since the relationship between psychosocial factors and fatigue has been
rarely studied, the aim of this study was investigating the relationship between
psychosocial work factors and fatigue among nurses.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 270 nurses from hospitals of Urmia University of
Medical Sciences randomly participated. The Job Content Questionnaire and Swedish
Occupational Fatigue Inventory were used for data collection. Pearson’s correlation
coefficient and Structural Equation Modeling were used for data analysis.
Results: The mean (SD) of control was 66.32 (7.36), psychological job demand 35.47
(3.68), social support 22.31 (2.64), physical job demand 15.22 (2.18), and job insecurity
8.72 (4.06). Control and social support dimensions had low levels. Moreover,
psychological and physical job demand had high levels, which indicates a high stress
level. According to the results, psychological and physical job demand had a significant
relationship with all dimensions of fatigue (P < 0.001).
Conclusions: The majority of nurses were exposed to high levels of job stress. Among
psychosocial factors, physical demand was identified as the most effective factor on
fatigue. Any comprehensive interventional program regarding psychosocial work factor
in order to reduce job stress and fatigue can improve health care quality and also prevent
medical errors.