Summary of findings on work stress and performance
1. The first objective was to examine work related stress among the students’
nurses in Sagana Sub County Hospital. The study revealed that there existed
workplace stress due to inadequacy of clarity of responsibilities assigned,
insufficient support from supervisors and poor work life balance. This
significantly contributed to work related stress among student nurses in Sagana
Sub County hospital in Kirinyaga County to a very great extent.
2. The second objective was to assess work related stress factors influencing
alcoholism among students’ nurses in Sagana Sub County Hospital. The
results revealed that increase work pressure, inadequate health support and
poor working conditions significantly contributed to work related stress
among student nurse in Sagana Sub County hospital. Further, inadequate
support from the top management health officials and poor skill mix also
contributed to work related stress to a large extent.
3. The third objective of the study was to determine the effects of work related
stress and alcoholism among student nurses in Sagana Sub County Hospital.
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The findings established that work related stress had detrimental effect among
student nurses in Sagana Sub County hospital in Kirinyaga County.
4. This was demonstrated by student nurses frequent lateness to work, engaged in
excessive alcohol drinking patterns affirming that it was due to high level of
workstress. The results also revealed that there was high workload increase job
pressure the resulted into anxiety and stress among the student nurses. Further,
there was increase in fatalities, accidents and errors in provision of care within
healthcare services. Student nurses exhibited dissatisfaction, discouragement,
and fatigue and less motivated to work. Workplace stress also had effect
among student nurses exhibited through the high level of tension, anxiety,
insomnia, lack of time for relaxation and lack of leisure activities, and
inadequate of time for taking care of family resulting into taking substance
and heavily taking alcohol affecting their productivity level and poor job
performance.
5. The fourth objective was to examine the relationship between work related
stress and alcoholism among student nurses in Sagana Sub County Hospital.
The results established that student’s nurses engage in alcoholism and this
affected their job performance at workplace.The results revealed that work
related stress factors significantly contributed to poor productivity to a very
great extent (M=4.61, SD= 0.69). Work related stress results also resulted into
dissatisfaction at work contributed to alcoholism leading to lateness at work
and lower their productivity to a great extent (M= 4.35 and 4.22 and SD= 0.44
and 0.42). Work related stress contributed to frustrations among
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student nurses, increase absenteeism, increased psychological distress and
excessive alcohol drinking patterns among the student nurses influence student
nurse to engage in alcoholism in Sagana Sub County hospital in Kirinyaga
Implications of the Study
High workloads, poor working conditions and inadequate support from fellow
staff and students nurses contribute to work related stress among student nurses in
Sagana Sub County hospital in Kirinyaga. Work related stress had a negative effect
among the student nurses as it hinders student nurses level of commitment at work,
lower motivate level, increase level of job dissatisfaction and increase rate of
absenteeism and low productivity resulting into poor job performance.
Further, the results implied measures that could be employed to minimise workplace
stress among the student nurses. This include deployment of training approach
empowers students nurses in assessing work related stressful situation and developing
an active plan to reduce the work related stressors, enhance learning skills to actively
cope and relax as well as develop a lifestyle that creates buffer against workstress and
engage in a more constructive engagement rather than results into taking alcohol.
Conclusions
1. Based on the summary of findings, the study concluded that students nurses at
Sagana medical facility experience high level of workstress that contributed to
engagement in alcoholism leading to poor job performance. Most male student
nurses were found to take excessive alcoholism compared to women
counterpart. In the social context, male engage in heavy drinking occurs due to
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environmental and social conditions which make alcohol use and work related
stress more likely to happen among the male students nurses in internships. In
social learning theory, Work related stress and alcohol abuse is described as a
method of coping with the demands of everyday life .
2. The study concluded that high workload increase, job demand leads to
workstress among student nurses in Sagana hospital causing job dissatisfaction
and making students nurses to engage in heavy drinking of alcohol as a way to
manage anxiety and workstress.
3. In conclusion, high workload among student’s nurses was experiencing long
working hours causing workstress that influences alcoholism. The students
nurses were exposed to long working hours characterized by increase in
fatalities, accidents and errors in provision of care within healthcare services
causing dissatisfaction, discouragement, and fatigue and less motivated student
nurse causing high rate of alcohol taking to cope up with the pressure of long
working hours. Due to long working hours, students nurses registered high
level of tension, anxiety, insomnia, lack of time for relaxation and lack of
leisure activities, and inadequate of time for family and engage heavy drinking
of alcohol affecting their productivity level and poor job performance.
4. Poor definition of specific roles of the students nurses results into assigning of
duties those students nurses were not trained for, other assigned complex
patient cases that were difficult to handle resulting into high-level of stress
among the student’s nurses who in turn results into alcoholism in an effort to
cope. Lack of clarity of responsibilities, increase in workload that demand
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high level competency and occurrence of insufficient time allocation to
provide quality patient care causes work related stress.
5. Ineffective working environment characterized by inadequate support,
inadequate medical staff that hinder students nurses from taking time off to
address physical and psychological concerns contributed to workstress among
student nurses at Sagana Sub County hospital. Failure to engage students
nurses health critical decision regarding patients contribute to professional
isolation, affect job rotation, increase role ambiguities and unclear role
expectations causing job dissatisfaction. This causes high level workstress and
engagement in alcoholism among students nurses.
6. The results demonstrated that inadequate support from top hospital
management causes workstress among the students nurses at Sagana Sub
county Hospital to a great extent. Inadequate support from the top
management in the health facility through failure to offer counseling support,
failure to provide workplace resources increased level of workstress making
students nurses to engage taking of alcohol.
7. Further conclusion indicated that inadequate human resources in Sagana Sub
County medical facilities translate to increase in workload among the student’s
nurses. Poor staffing level increase workload among the student’s nurses,
affect job rotation and increase long working hours, caused negative
interrelation and misunderstanding with clinical manager, and decreased
motivation among the student nurses. This results into poor concentration
causing errors in provision of care, increase level of anxiety and impairment of
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emotional and physical statuses among intern nurses this led to alcoholism,
student’s nurses productivity and affected job performance.
8. The study concluded that the poor work-life balance contributed to workstress
among student’s nurses at Sagana Sub County Hospital to a great extent. Lack of
work life balance hinder medical having quality time for the family due to high
workload ineffective policy that support work life balance increase level of
burnout syndrome and increasing work-related stresses at the medical facility.
9. On the effect of alcoholism on job performance at workplace, the study concluded
that engagement in alcoholism among students nurses in Sagana Sub County
hospital in Kirinyaga County, contributed to poor productivity among, students
nurses, cause dissatisfaction, increase sense of frustration as they could not offer
patient care or demands, increase absenteeism, increased psychological distress
and excessive alcohol drinking patterns and affected job performance negatively.
