Gender differences among cancer nurses’ stress perception and coping: an Italian single centre observational study
[Differenze di genere nella percezione dello stress e nel coping degli infermieri oncologici: uno studio osservazionale in un unico centro italiano]
Published: February 26 2025
Abstract Views: 29
PDF: 14
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
The literature on gender differences in stress perception and coping has been produced diverse results, and there is a shortage of studies on this topic among cancer nurses. For this reason, the aim of this study was to describe the gender differences related to cancer nurses' stress perception and coping. This study had a cross-sectional design, using a secondary data analysis on dataset (sample = 126 cancer nurses, 74% females). The stress perception and the coping strategies were assessed using Burnout Potential Inventory and Health Profession Stress and Coping Scale, nurses' version. Female cancer nurses perceived more stress from personal attacks than males. Indeed, female over 45 years had a significant higher perception of stress, but they used the request for social support (functional coping) as a coping strategy more than males. Our results could help to clearly understand what are the main gender differences in coping and in perceiving stress among Italian cancer nurses, and to incentive more research.
Altmetrics
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Citations
1) Arrigoni C, Caruso R, Campanella F, Gigli Berzolari F, Miazza D, Pelissero G. Investigating burnout situations, nurses' stress perception and effect of a post-graduate education program in health care organizations of northern Italy: a multicenter study. G Ital Med Lav Ergon 2015; 37(1): 39-45.
2) Khamisa N, Oldenburg B, Peltzer K, Ilic D. Work Related Stress, Burnout, Job Satisfaction and General Health of Nurses. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2015 Jan 12; 12(1): 652-66. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120100652
3) Kalliath T, Morris R. Job satisfaction among nurses: a predictor of burnout levels. J Nurs Adm 2002; 32(12): 648-54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00005110-200212000-00010
4) Potter P, Deshields T, Divanbeigi J. Compassion fatigue and burnout: prevalence among oncology nurses. Clin J Oncol Nurs 2010; 14(5): E56-62. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1188/10.CJON.E56-E62
5) Barnard D, Street A, Love A. Relationships between stressors, work supports, and burnout among cancer nurses. Cancer Nurs 2006; 29(4): 338-45. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00002820-200607000-00013
6) Demirci S, Yildirim YK, Ozsaran Z, Uslu R, Yalman D, Aras AB. Evaluation of burnout syndrome in oncology employees. Med Oncol 2010; 27(3): 968-74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-009-9318-5
7) Perry B. Why exemplary oncology nurses seem to avoid compassion fatigue. Can Oncol Nurs J / Rev Can soins Infirm en Oncol 2008; 18(2): 87-92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5737/1181912x1828792
8) Arrigoni C, Miazza D, Gerra MT, Pelissero G. Prevention in the workplace and training of personnel: new methodological approaches. J Prev Med Hyg 2012 Mar; 53(1): 14-9.
9) Rodrigues AB, Chaves EC. Stressing factors and coping strategies used by oncology nurses. Rev Lat Am Enfermagem 2008 Feb; 16(1): DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692008000100004
10) Caruso R, Pittella F, Ghizzardi G, Cesari L, Zaghini F, Destrebecq ALL, et al. Che cosa ostacola l'implementazione di competenze specialistiche per l'infermiere? La prospettiva degli infermieri clinici: uno studio esplorativo e descrittivo. L'Infermiere 2016; 53(2): e29-38. 11) Maslach C, Schaufeli WB, Leiter MP. Job Burnout. Annu Rev Psychol 2001; 52(1): 397-422. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.397
12) Sabo BM. Compassionate presence: The meaning of hematopoietic stem cell transplant nursing. Eur J Oncol Nurs 2011 Apr; 15(2): DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2010.06.006
13) Caruso R, Pittella F, Zaghini F, Fida R, Sili A. Development and validation of the Nursing Profession Self-Efficacy Scale. Int Nurs Rev 2016; 63(3): 455-64. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12291
14) Zaghini F, Fida R, Caruso R, Kangasniemi M, Sili A, Vergata PT. What is Behind Counterproductive Work Behaviors in the Nursing Profession? A Systematic Review. J Clin Res Bioeth 2016; 7(4): 1000277. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4172/2155-9627.1000277
15) Zaghini F, Biagioli V, Prandi C, Fida R, Sili A. Gli infermieri e il "Comportamento di Cittadinanza Organizzativa": contributo alla validazione italiana della scala di Podsakoff et al. Med Lav 2015; 106(6): 460-71.
16) Crawford ER, LePine JA, Rich BL. Linking job demands and resources to employee engagement and burnout: A theoretical extension and meta-analytic test. J Appl Psychol 2010 Sep; 95(5): 834-48. 17) Adams RE, Boscarino JA, Figley CR. Compassion fatigue and psychological distress among social workers: a validation study. Am J Orthopsychiatry [Internet] 2006; 76(1): 103-8. Available from: http: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16569133 18) Potter BA. Overcoming job burnout: how to renew enthusiasm for work. Third edit. Oakland, CA: Ronin Publishing; 2005. 238 p. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019364
19) Ko W, Kiser-Larson N. Stress Levels of Nurses in Oncology Outpatient Units. Clin J Oncol Nurs 2016; 20(2): 158-64. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1188/16.CJON.158-164
20) Medland J, Howard-Ruben J, Whitaker E. Fostering Psychosocial Wellness in Oncology Nurses: Addressing Burnout and Social Support in the Workplace. Oncol Nurs Forum 2004; 31(1): 47-54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1188/04.ONF.47-54
21) Ripamonti C. Health Professions Stress and Coping Scale. Firenze: Giunti OS; 2007.
22) Gemmell LA, Terhorst L, Jhamb M, Unruh M, Myaskovsky L, Kester L, et al. Gender and Racial Differences in Stress, Coping, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Chronic Kidney Disease. J Pain Symptom Manage 2016 Dec 30; 52(6): 806-12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.05.029
23) Lee J, Cho YH. Gender Differences in Job Stress and Stress Coping Strategies among Korean Nurses. Int J Bio-Science Bio-Technology 2016; 8(3): 143-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14257/ijbsbt.2016.8.3.15
24) Hellriegel D, Slocum JWJ. Organizational Behavior. Mason, OH (USA): South-Western CENGAGE Learning; 2009. 640 р.
25) Edward K, Ousey K, Warelow P, Lui S. Nursing and aggression in the workplace: a systematic review. Br J Nurs 2014; 23(12): 653-9. 26) Lepiesová M, Tomágová M, Bóriková I, Farskỹ I, Ziaková K, Kurucová R. Experience of nurses with in-patient aggression in the Slovak Republic. Cent Eur J Nurs Midwifery 2015; 6(3): 306-12. 27) Badolamenti S, Sili A, Caruso R, Fida R. What do we know about emotional labour in nursing? A narrative review. Br J Nurs 2017; 26(1): 48-55. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2017.26.1.48
28) Laschinger HKS, Grau AL, Aiken LH, Clarke SP, Sloane DM, Sochalski J, et al. The influence of personal dispositional factors and organizational resources on workplace violence, burnout, and health outcomes in new graduate nurses: a cross-sectional study. Int J Nurs Stud 2012 Mar; 49(3): 282-91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2011.09.004
29) Purvanova RK, Muros JP. Gender differences in burnout: A metaanalysis. J Vocat Behav 2010 Oct; 77(2): 168-85. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2010.04.006
30) Matlin MV. Book Review: New Edition of Psychology of Women Textbook Has It all. Psychol Women Q 2004 Sep; 28(3): 266-266. 31) Caruso R, Fida R, Sili A, Arrigoni C. Towards an integrated model of nursing competence: an overview of the literature reviews and concept analysis. Prof Inferm 2016; 69(1): 35-43. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2004.144_1.x
32) Ozbay F, Johnson DC, Dimoulas E, Morgan CA, Charney D, Southwick S, et al. Social support and resilience to stress: from neurobiology to clinical practice. Psychiatry (Edgmont) 2007; 4(5): 35-40.
33) Arrigoni C, Grugnetti AM, Caruso R, Gallotti ML, Borelli P, Puci M. Nursing students' clinical competencies: a survey on clinical education objectives. Ann Ig 2017; 29(3):179-188.
How to Cite
Gender differences among cancer nurses’ stress perception and coping: an Italian single centre observational study: [Differenze di genere nella percezione dello stress e nel coping degli infermieri oncologici: uno studio osservazionale in un unico centro italiano]. (2025). Giornale Italiano Di Medicina Del Lavoro Ed Ergonomia, 39(2), 93-99. https://doi.org/10.4081/gimle.610
Copyright (c) 2017 The Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Anna Maria Grugnetti, Rosario Caruso, Domenico Scognamiglio, Maria Cristina Monti, Cinzia Garofolo, Mario Oreste Meles, Cristina Arrigoni, EFFECTS OF IMPLEMENTING STANDARDIZED ORGANIZATIONAL INTERVENTIONS ON DRUG THERAPY MANAGEMENT: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY , Giornale Italiano di Medicina del Lavoro ed Ergonomia: Vol. 42 No. 1 (2020)
- Paolo Lago, Giuseppe Albano, Marco Toscani, Roberto Albera, Anna Maria Grugnetti, Bianca Dell'Olivo, Covid-19 emergency management activities promoted by an university hospital in Northern Italy , Giornale Italiano di Medicina del Lavoro ed Ergonomia: Vol. 42 No. 3 (2020)
- Cristina Arrigoni, Rosario Caruso, Francesca Campanella, Francesca Gigli Berzolari, Daniela Miazza, Gabriele Pelissero, Investigating burnout situations, nurses’ stress perception and effect of a post-graduate education program in health care organizations of northern Italy: a multicenter study , Giornale Italiano di Medicina del Lavoro ed Ergonomia: Vol. 37 No. 1 (2015)