Investigate the Relationship between Occupational Stress and the General Health of Nurses Affiliated with Shahid Sadoughi Hospital of Yazd City during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: One of the global challenges in the management of infectious diseases has been the management of the coronavirus, which has put considerable pressure on health care and medical systems. Nurses have borne the brunt of these pressures as the most important human resource in these organizations. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between occupational stress and the general health among nurses affiliated to Shahid Sadoughi as the teaching hospital of Yazd city during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022. Methods: The current investigation is a descriptive-correlational study conducted on 160 nurses working at Shahid Sadoughi hospital of Yazd city. Two standard questionnaires were utilized to collect data, including the Parker and DeCotiis Occupational Stress Questionnaire and the Goldberger and Hiller General Health Questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using T-test, Mann-Whitney, and Pearson correlation tests in SPSS26 software . Results: There was a positive correlation between job stress and the general health of nurses (r=0.515, P-Value=0.001). The findings revealed a significant and positive correlation between occupational stress and general health dimensions in nurses. Additionally, the results proved a significant positive correlation between time pressure and anxiety in the Occupational Stress Questionnaire with physical symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, and depression dimensions in the General Health Questionnaire. Conclusion: The results of this research suggest that an increase in occupational stress scores leads to a rise in general health scores. Therefore, the findings indicate that higher levels of occupational stress in nurses result in a less favorable general health status. Consequently, several nurses might struggle to provide effective and high-quality care to patients, which can endanger the overall health of the community.