The nurse stress index

Abstract This paper describes the development of the Nurse Stress Index (NSI): a self-report method of identifying sources of stress for groups of senior nurses (from sister/charge nurse level upwa30-item Index was shown to have acceptable levels of internal reliability (alpha =0.90) and split-half reliability (coefficient = 0.89). Content validity was ensured by involving nurses throughout the development, however, a number of weaknesses in content were identified. Scores on the NSI were positively correlated with a valid measure of mental health (r = 0.38; p < 0.001), although the direction of causation was unclear, and the Index was shown to discriminate between groups of nurses who might be expected to differ in their sources of stress. These data are compared with findings from other studies which used similar procedures. Finally, the application and further development of the NSI is discussed.