Magnitude of Occupational Stress and Its Associated Factors Among Healthcare Professionals Working at Adama Hospital Medical College, Adama, Ethiopia: An Institution-based Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Occupational stress affects professionals across all fields; however, healthcare professionals are particularly highly prone to workplace stress. This group is especially vulnerable to workplace stress, given the critical nature of their responsibilities and the high-pressure settings in which they operate. Objectives: The study was done to determine the level of occupational stress and its associated factors among healthcare professionals in Adama Hospital Medical College, Adama, Ethiopia. Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 421 randomly selected health-care professionals in Adama Hospital Medical College. Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire by trained data collectors under supervision. The data were then entered into SPSS version 25 for analysis. Both binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were done to assess the associations between dependent and explanatory variables. Result: In this study the magnitude of occupational stress was 45.6% (95% CI: 40.8-50.4). Being female (AOR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.7, 5.6), being married (AOR: 3.7, 95% CI: 2.0, 6.9), working greater than 50 hours per week (AOR: 3.5; 95% CI: 1.7, 7.4), and assigning duty greater than 4 days per week (AOR: 2.8; 95% CI: 1.6, 4.9) were significantly associated factors with occupational stress. Conclusions: Occupational stress is a serious problem among the health professionals in AHMC. This study found that nearly half of the study participants experienced occupational stress. Being female, having married, working more than 50 hours per week, and being assigned duty more than 4 days per week were significantly associated with occupational stress among health professionals.