Psychosocial and Demographic Factors Impacting the Mental Workload of Nurses: A Proposed Structural Equation Model

Background: Physical and mental workload (MWL) are very important factors that affect patient safety and the quality of nursing services. Psychosocial risk factors in the workplace are among the most important factors that threaten nurses’ MWL. Objectives: The study was carried out to examine MWL and predict the psychosocial and demographic factors that affect the MWL of nurses, based on the structural equation model (SEM). Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2021. Participants were 234 nurses from a teaching hospital in Ilam, Iran. General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), the NASA-TLX Questionnaire, Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ), and a demographic questionnaire were used. The overall relationship between the variables was analyzed using the SEM. LISREL 8.8 software was used in the study to estimate the model and test the fit of the model. Results: Based on the NASA-TLX Index, the overall MWL score was 70.09 ± 9.51. Examining the MWL subscales showed that the mean effort score (71.41 ± 8.93), frustration (71.38 ± 5.50), and physical demand (70.74 ± 7.00) were higher than other dimensions of MWL. In the presented SEM, there was a significant relationship between individual and psychosocial factors with the MWL, and these factors, in interaction with each other, could predict MWL by 28%. Among the psychosocial factors examined, factor1 (β = 0.88, P < 0.01), (quality of leadership, social support from supervisors, recognition, justice, trust regarding management, predictability), and factor3 (β = 0.95, P < 0.01) (meaning of work, commitment to the workplace, influence, and role clarity) were among the factors affecting MWL. Conclusions: The study results indicated the significance of psychosocial factors in nurses' MWL. Hence, controlling and managing effective psychosocial factors could help reduce MWL. Given that nurses are the main element of care in the treatment team, the results of the current study may have several implications for policymakers and nursing managers. Since nurses’ MWL was in the range of high workload, workload management programs can help reduce MWL. By considering the prediction of nurses' MWL by psychosocial factors, some strategies should be considered by managers, including improving the quality of leadership, social support from supervisors, and also improving influence and role clarity.