title: A study on work stress, stress coping strategies and health promoting lifestyle among district hospital nurses in Taiwan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine work stress, and stress-coping strategies, and to analyze their the relationships in order to improve health-promoting lifestyle of nurses in Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred eighty-five nurses who had work experience for more than 6 mo, were selected from four district hospitals in Kaohsiung and Ping Tung. We used a stratified cluster random sampling method for the selection. The nurses answered a self-report questionnaire, which was categorized into four sections: personal background data, work stress, stress-coping strategies, and health-promoting lifestyle.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings indicate work stress and the health promoting lifestyle of nurses are at a higher level, with stress-coping strategies being at a medium level. Work stress and stress-coping strategies were significantly and positively correlated. Professional relationships, managerial role, personal responsibility, and recognition of work stress and the responsibilities of a health-promoting lifestyle were negatively correlated. Managerial role, personal responsibility, and organizational atmosphere of work stress as well as realization, an item of health-promoting lifestyle, were negatively correlated. Recognition of work stress and stress management, items of health-promoting lifestyle, were negatively correlated. Health responsibility, and self-actualization, items of health-promoting lifestyle, as well as stress-coping strategies were negatively correlated. Nutrition, an item of health-promoting lifestyle, and the support stress-coping strategy was negatively correlated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nurses have greater work pressure and better work stress-coping strategies, but worse health responsibility and realization of a health-promoting lifestyle. We suggest hospitals build good relationships and appropriately increase employment of nurses through a good work atmosphere to achieve nurses' realization of a health-promoting lifestyle.
authors.affiliation: Center for General Education, Tajen University, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wei-Lun
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Shieunt-Han
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Chao-Wen
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Chia-Ying
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008875:Middle Aged; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan; D014937:Work / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult