title: Health-related quality of life and working conditions among nursing providers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate working conditions associated with health-related quality of life (HRQL) among nursing providers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study conducted in a university hospital in the city of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, during 2004-2005. The study sample comprised 696 registered nurses, nurse technicians and nurse assistants, predominantly females (87.8%), who worked day and/or night shifts. Data on sociodemographic information, working and living conditions, lifestyles, and health symptoms were collected using self-administered questionnaires. The following questionnaires were also used: Job Stress Scale, Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Ordinal logistic regression analysis using proportional odds model was performed to evaluate each dimension of the SF-36.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Around 22% of the sample was found to be have high strain and 8% showed an effort-reward imbalance at work. The dimensions with the lowest mean scores in the SF-36 were vitality, bodily pain and mental health. High-strain job, effort-reward imbalance (ERI>1.01), and being a registered nurse were independently associated with low scores on the role emotional dimension. Those dimensions associated to mental health were the ones most affected by psychosocial factors at work.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Effort-reward imbalance was more associated with health than high-strain (high demand and low control). The study results suggest that the joint analysis of psychosocial factors at work such as effort-reward imbalance and demand-control can provide more insight to the discussion of professional roles, working conditions and HRQL of nursing providers.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Saúde Pública, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. amandaas@usp.br
authors.forename: Amanda Aparecida
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: José Maria Pacheco de
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Flávio Notarnicola da Silva
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.forename: Frida Marina
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Fischer
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012201:Reward; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data