Stress Among Nurses in Rural Hospitals in South Africa

The study examined levels of stress among nurses in two rural hospitals in the Central Region of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. The participants were 80 nurses and 78 clerical staff (as control group). They filled in a questionnaire, which was designed to tap information on symptoms and sources of stress. When compared to the control group, nurses did not report more symptoms of stress than the control group. However, the nurses reported higher levels of workrelated sources of stress than the control group. From the findings, it is concluded that although stress management programmes and strategies, which focus more on the reduction of work-related sources of stress should be organised on a regular basis for nurses, the often-reported extra-ordinary levels of stress among nurses may be disputed, especially in relation to general nurses working in rural areas of the Limpopo Province of South Africa.