Philippine E-Journals

The Occupational Stress and Altruistic Behavior of Psychiatric Nurses in National Center for Mental Health

Vanesa Alvarez | Nikki Rose Conor | Cyrra Jane Salado

 

Abstract:

This study determined the relationship between the level of occupational stress and level of altruistic behavior in Psychiatric Nurses in the National Center for Mental Health. Constructed test validated by three experts in the field of Psychology was administered to measure the level of occupational stress and altruistic behavior of psychiatric nurses. This descriptive research employed Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient (Spearman r) to determine the relationship between occupational stress and altruistic behavior. The population of the study consisted of 45 participants from the six pavilions of the National Center for Mental Health. The researchers found that all the components of ACS Occupational Stress got the highest percentage score in the choice of Never. This indicates that the majority of psychiatric nurses in NCMH were not stressed. Furthermore, among the components of altruistic behavior, most of the participants had a very strong level of altruism as found in sometimes giving donations, feeling the responsibility in the society, and making sacrifices. Also, there was positive correlation between intrinsic to the job and compassion (rho = -.423; p < 0.05) as well as role in the organization and emergency helping (rho = 0.87; p < 0.05). Lastly, there was a negative correlation between relationship at work and justice and social responsibility (rho = -0.812; p < 0.05). This implies that if one increases, the other variable increases also and vice versa. After identifying the level of occupational stress and altruistic behavior of psychiatric nurses, the researchers proposed an activity-based module to lessen occupational stress and enhance their altruistic behavior. Psychiatric nurses face various stressors in their profession but they can manage strains in a positive way even if the nurses’ responsibilities were uncertain and contradictory to their demands at work. They opted to forget their own advantage to help others, especially their patients. The researchers concluded that the working conditions of the psychiatric nurses can motivate them and their ambiguous roles have a positive impact particularly in emergency situations. The National Center for Mental Health and other institutions should consider implementing an annual team building, give incentives and set a limit on overtime hours per week for employee’s motivation and well-being. The Nursing Services Department should consider setting a time limit for the psychiatric nurses’ overtime in a week. Future psychology researchers should test the proposed activities to determine their applicability and efficacy.