Stress in Emergency Healthcare Professionals: The Stress Factors and Manifestations Scale

Abstract

Background: Healthcare workers are continuously exposed to a high level of stress, especially emergency department professionals. In the present research, we aimed to determine the internal consistency and validity of the Stress Factors and Manifestations Scale for in-hospital and out-of-hospital emergency workers. Methods: A quantitative, prospective, cross-sectional, and observational study including 269 emergency service professionals. Results: The scale was composed of 21 items, with a Cronbach’s α value of 0.908. The hospital workers (38.4 ± 10.8 vs. 35.1 ± 9.9, p = 0.014) and women (39.3 ± 11.4 vs. 34.2 ± 8.6, p < 0.001) had higher levels of stress. The sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of the scale were adequate. Conclusion: In the present study, including in-hospital and out-of-hospital emergency workers, the Stress Factors and Manifestations Scale presented appropriate usefulness, internal consistency, and validity, with optimal predictive ability. Higher levels of anxiety, female gender, being less optimistic, and working in hospital emergency departments were related to increased stress levels. Further studies are warranted to validate our results and potentially extend the Stress Factors and Manifestations Scale to other contexts.

Impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on stress and sleep in emergency room professionals

“…Concerning to stress, our results are in line with most of the previous evidence since females reported higher levels of stress (García‐Tudela et al, 2019, 2022; Nespereira‐Campuzano & Vázquez‐Campo, 2017; Sahin et al, 2022; Sánchez‐Vera et al, 2015). Moreover, we found a significant increase in the overall levels during the pandemic in comparison with pre‐COVID‐19, even though there were only a few months of difference.…”

“…Information on stress was collected using the Stress Factors and Manifestations Scale (García-Tudela et al, 2022). This questionnaire includes 21 items with 5-point Likert-type scores (from 1 = not at all, to 5 = totally), and describes different manifestations of stress associated with four factors (Self-concept, Sociability, Somatisation and Illness symptoms).…”

Emergency physician personnel crisis: a survey on attitudes of new generations in Slovenia

“…EM doctors are stressed by high patient volumes and rapid throughput [ 36 ]. EM is objectively more stressful than other medical specialties in prehospital and hospital care [ 37 ]. Our results also show that those who perceive EM as more stressful are less likely to choose EM residency.…”

Decision Fatigue in Emergency Medicine: An Exploration of Its Validity

“…The emergency department is known for its high-stress environment [ 17 ]. Physicians work under significant pressure because of factors such as time constraints, uncertainty, and the emotional toll of dealing with critically ill or injured patients.…”

“…Physicians work under significant pressure because of factors such as time constraints, uncertainty, and the emotional toll of dealing with critically ill or injured patients. This environment amplifies the cognitive and emotional demands on emergency physicians [ 17 , 18 ].…”