Association between work stress and primary headache in nursing staff in Changchun / 中风与神经疾病杂志

ABSTRACT

@#Objective To investigate the association between stress and primary headache in nursing staff and the methods for managing such headache. Methods A semi-structured questionnaire was used to conduct a hospital-based cross-sectional study among 225 nursing staff members in a grade A tertiary teaching hospital in Changchun, Jilin, China. A total of 32 items were measured, including basic information, headache-and stress-related questions, job satisfaction, and coping strategies. According to the International Headache Society criteria, headache patients with migraine or episodic tension-type headache （with attacks for less than 15 days a month） were included for analysis. The Student's t-test, a one-way analysis of variance, and the chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results Among the 210 respondents, 103 （48.9%） reported the experience of primary headache in the previous year, and 98 （46.7%） experienced episodic headache （less than 15 days a month）. Detailed neurological interviews of the latter group showed that 56 respondents （26.5%） had migraine, 28 （13.3%） had tension-type headache, 11 （5.2%） had a combination of migraine and tension-type headache, and 4 （1.9%） had headache due to other causes. There were no significant differences in demographic data between headache patients and non-headache patients, although there was a significant difference in self-reported sources of stress between the two groups （individual P values ranging from 0.021 to <0.001）. The patients with headache experienced greater job-related stress than the individuals without headache （P<0.001）. The nursing staff members with a younger age, less experience, an unmarried status, and a lower educational level tended to report higher levels of stress. Treatment methods for headaches included sleep, medication, rest, medical consultation, and psychological help. Nurses often used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain relief. Conclusion The results show that work stress is associated with primary headache among nursing staff, and nurses seldom seek help at the early stage of the disease. Therefore, education on how to alleviate stress and cope with headache for nursing staff may help them provide better care to patients.