Work-related stress and its associated factors among nurses in public hospitals in the Greater Banjul Area, The Gambia

The nursing profession is inherently stressful, leading to absenteeism, increased errors, and reduced performance, which pose serious threats to patient safety. Despite these critical issues, research on work-related stress among nurses in The Gambia remains scarce. Therefore, this study sought to assess work-related stress and its associated factors among nurses in the Greater Banjul Area, The Gambia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 192 nurses in three public hospitals. A proportionate stratified random sampling method was used to stratify study participants by hospital and nursing cadre and recruit eligible participants. Data was collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire and the validated Nursing Stress Scale to assess work-related stress. Descriptive statistics, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression models were used. Most of the nurses were aged between 21 and 30 years (77.1 %, n = 148) and were females (59.2 %, n = 113). The prevalence of nurses’ work-related stress in this study was 53.6 %. Nurses who maintained a monogamous family (aOR = 2.06, 95 % CI = 1.08 ∼ 3.95), experienced psychological distress (aOR = 3.19, 95 % CI = 1.55 ∼ 6.57) and worked in accident and emergency/ICU (aOR = 6.85, 95 % CI = 1.64 ∼ 28.64) were at higher risk for developing work-related stress. More than half of the nurses experienced work-related stress. Nurses from monogamous families, experiencing psychological distress, and working in the A&E/ICU department were more likely to report work stress. Practical measures such as implementing the Gambia’s occupational health laws are recommended to improve work stress for better mental health outcomes among nurses.