Component analysis of occupational stress inoculation applied to registered nurses in an acute care hospital setting

Daniel J. West, John J. Horan, Paul A. Games

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

54 Scopus citations

Abstract

The stress inoculation (SI) paradigm, which consists of education (ED), coping skills training (CST), and exposure to simulated stressors (EX), was applied to the occupational stress experienced by nurses. Occupational stress was operationally defined in terms of 13 dependent measures reflecting problem areas summarized by the acronym ReACT (retrograde complaints, assertiveness deficits, competency concerns, and time stress). ReACT also stood for the ingredients of the CST component (relaxation training, assertive skill building, cognitive restructuring, and time management instruction). To determine which SI components produce a treatment effect, 60 White female acute-care registered nurses (mean age 33.8 yrs) were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 active treatment cells: SI, CST, EX, ED, or no treatment (NT). Ss were administered a battery of tests that included the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Rathus Assertiveness Schedule. A MANOVA at posttest, and subsequent univariate analyses simultaneously considering 4-mo follow-up data, demonstrated that SI is an effective treatment with durable benefits and that CST is its principal ingredient. Additional demand-characteristics analyses indicated that these effects are not due to placebo-related phenomena. (54 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)209-218
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Counseling Psychology
Volume31
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1984
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • education &/vs coping skills training &/vs exposure to simulated stressors, occupational stress, White female registered nurses with mean age of 33.8 yrs

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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