The Relationship between Social Support and Work Stress among Nurses in the Inpatient Wards of Hospital X in Padang City

Occupational stress remains a concern among inpatient nurses facing demanding workloads, continuous patient care, and organizational pressures. However, evidence on its relationship with social support in hospitals in Padang City remains limited. This study examined the relationship between social support and work stress among inpatient nurses at Hospital X in Padang City. A quantitative correlational design was employed, involving 70 female nurses recruited through total sampling. Data were collected using social support and work stress questionnaires and analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation in IBM SPSS Statistics version 26. Moderate social support was the most frequently reported category (40.00%), while low and moderate work stress were equally frequent (34.29% each). Social support showed a strong, statistically significant negative correlation with work stress (ρ = −.646, p < .001), indicating that higher social support was associated with lower occupational stress. These findings provide evidence of the relevance of supportive workplace relationships to stress among inpatient nurses. Hospital management should consider strengthening collegial cooperation, supervisory support, and open communication alongside efforts to address workplace demands. Further research should examine additional organizational factors across more diverse nursing populations.