Evaluation of work stress levels and influencing factors among community pharmacy employees: A multivariate analysis

Purpose: Work stress among community pharmacy employees arises from high workloads, patient demands, and complex responsibilities, impacting both their well-being and the quality of patient care. This study examined job stress levels and related factors among pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2022 with 154 participants from community pharmacies in Niğde, Türkiye. Data were collected using a sociodemographic form and the Swedish Demand-Control-Support Questionnaire. Results: Work stress was reported by 81.3% of pharmacy technicians and 11.1% of pharmacists. While no pharmacists experienced high levels of work stress, 22.0% of pharmacy technicians reported high work stress. Social isolation stress was observed in 78.2% of pharmacy technicians and 31.7% of pharmacists. Notably, 20.1% of pharmacy technicians reported high social stress, whereas no pharmacists did. Overall, pharmacy technicians exhibited moderate levels of both work and social isolation stress, consistently higher than those of pharmacists. Factors associated with increased work stress included being a pharmacy technician and longer daily working hours, while social isolation stress was significantly associated with being a pharmacy technician, worsening general health, fewer cohabitants, and non-smoking status. Conclusion: Pharmacy technicians experience higher levels of work-related stress compared to pharmacists. Reducing daily working hours and overall workload is recommended as a potential strategy to alleviate stress in this group.