Looking for the Possible Association Between Stress, Presenteeism and Absenteeism Among Croatian Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Stress is an important occupational hazard in numerous occupations. The consequences of stress have been associated with a number of health conditions. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether nurses’ perceived levels of stress are associated to presenteeism and absenteeism. Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional study, conducted at a public general hospital in Croatia, medical nurses filled the perceived stress scale (PSS-10) and short-form of the World health organization health and work performance questionnaire (WHO HPQ). Results: Nurses experiencing absenteeism (26, 53%) had a little higher levels of stress (X = 18.85, SD = 7.31) when compared to those without absenteeism (X = 17.52, SD = 6.63), t (144) = 1.037, P = 0.301. Nurses with presenteeism (15.74%) had statistically significantly higher levels of stress (M = 21.42, SD = 5.62), compared to nurses without presenteeism (X = 17.35, SD = 6.84), t(144) = 2.47, P = 0.015. Linear regression (R2 = 0.032, P = 0.036) showed an association between presenteeism and stress (B = 3.952, S.E. = 1.26, β = 0.069). No association was found between absenteeism and stress. Conclusions: Although there is an association between presenteeism and stress, we cannot draw a causal line from this finding.