Occupational stress in health service workers in the UK

Abstract Levels of occupational stress were examined in 1176 employees of all occupational groups within one large UK health authority. In comparison with the most recently established normative group of workers from non‐health care sectors, health workers reported significantly greater pressure at work but scored lower on measures of Type A behaviour pattern and employed coping strategies more frequently. The health care workers reported, in contrast with previous studies, fewer symptoms of mental ill‐health and similar levels of job satisfaction. Job satisfaction and psychosomatic ill‐health were related to sickness absence among health workers. Approximately one in 12 health workers had stress symptoms of equal magnitude to patients attending clinical psychology outpatient clinics. The major occupational groups within the health worker sample were compared on stress measures. General managers were found to report the lowest levels of pressure, were high on Type A (nearly as high as doctors), were found to be the most ‘internal’ in their perceived locus of control, had the lowest levels of ill‐health symptoms, the highest levels of job satisfaction and the lowest sickness absence rate. Nurses reported the highest levels of pressure. Ancillary staff and scientists and technicians, on the other hand, had very low levels of job satisfaction and high sickness absence.