Social Stressors in Nurses and the Intention to Leave the Profession and to Change Job

Introduction. The increasing demand for medical services in an ageing society and the groving average age of Polish nurses stimulate the search for reasons why experienced health care workers are leaving the profession. Aim. The aim of this study is to determine the degree of nurses’ propensity to leave the profession and to change jobs in the context of social stressors at work, occupational variables including type of hospital ward and subject variables. Material and Methods. A questionnaire-based anonymous survey was conducted among N=190 nurses. The study used the Roodt scale (TIS-6), the Negative Acts Questionnaire (NAQ), the Questionnaire of Stressors in Nursing (QSN) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Results. The intention to change their workplace was indicated by 55.8% of nurses, 12.3% of whom were neurological nurses, and the intention to leave the profession by 6.8% of respondents. The intensity of the intention to leave significantly positively correlated with all the social stressors studied. Nurses who considered leaving the profession were characterized by poorer psychological well-being and experienced negative actions from co-workers and supervisors to a greater extent than those who considered changing jobs. Conclusions. Social stressors are significantly associated with the intention to leave the profession and change jobs. The social stressor that significantly differentiates neurology nurses from other study participants is the relationship with the patient and his family. Taking care of nurses’ psychological well-being and building cooperation in nursing teams are factors that can prevent leaving the profession. (JNNN 2025;14(1):8–15)