Occupational Stress Level and the Associated Factors among Intern Radiographers in Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Stress can be defined as a person’s psychological and physiological response to the perception of demand and challenges. The aim of the work is to evaluate the prevalence of occupational stress among intern radiographers in Anambra state, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based design was adopted for this study. Thirty intern radiographers were included in this study using convenience sampling technique. The questionnaires were administered to the participants and the completed ones were retrieved immediately by the researchers. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis and p-value was kept at 0.05. Results: All participants (100%) experienced occupational stressed in their work places. 56.7% (n=17) of the participants sometimes felt stressed by the amount of examinations they carried out in a day, 53.3% (n=16) of the participants were always pressurized to increase service delivery to patients in the department. Majority 86.7 % (n=26) perceived workload due to shortage of radiographers as their source of stress. 83.3 % (n=25) of the participants, sometimes lose control towards their patients’ uncooperative behavior. There was a weak negative and non-significant correlation between level of stress and duration of internship (r=.-279, p=0.136).Gender variation in relation to the level of occupational stress among intern radiographers was not significant (p=0.054). Conclusion: This study shows that the stress had negative effect on the intern radiographers and could sometimes affect their job performance and overall productivity. Therefore, healthcare facilities organizing stress management workshops into recruitment protocols, to help new employees to cope with occupational stress.