BACKGROUND: Various studies have demonstrated that nursing is stressful and that the incidence of occupational stress-related burnout in the profession is high.
AIM: This descriptive-correlational study examined nurses' satisfaction with their psychosocial work environment, their moral sensitivity and differences in outcomes of clinical nursing supervision in relation to nurses' well-being by systematically comparing supervised and unsupervised nurses.
METHODS: Nurses were selected from two hospitals (n = 71). Data collection was by means of questionnaires and analysed by descriptive and inferential statistics.
RESULTS: The nurses' satisfaction with their psychosocial work environment was reflected in six factors: 'job stress and anxiety', 'relationship with colleagues', 'collaboration and good communication', 'job motivation', 'work demands' and 'professional development'. The nurses' perceptions of moral sensitivity comprised seven factors: 'grounds for actions', 'ethical conflicts', 'values in care', 'independence patient-oriented care', 'the desire to provide high-quality care' and 'the desire to provide high-quality care creates ethical dilemmas'. Nurses well-being were reflected in four factors 'physical symptom and anxiety', 'feelings of not being in control', 'engagement and motivation' and 'eye strain sleep disturbance'. The moral sensitivity 'ethical conflicts' were found to have mild negative correlations with psychosocial work environment 'job stress and anxiety professional development' and with 'total score' psychosocial work, moral sensitivity factor 'independence were correlated with psychosocial work factor 'relationships with colleagues' and 'total score', moral sensitivity were mildly correlated with 'collaboration and good communication and had a negative correlation to psychosocial work factor 'work demands'. In addition, significant correlations were found between the nurses' well-being profile and demographic variables, between 'engagement and motivation' and 'absence due to illness' and between 'time allocation for tasks', 'physical symptoms and anxiety' and 'age'. Mild significant differences were found between nurses attending and not attending group supervision and between 'physical symptoms and anxiety' and 'feelings of not being in control'.
CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that ethical conflicts in nursing are a source of job-related stress and anxiety. The outcome of supporting nurses by clinical nursing supervision may have a positive influence on their perceptions of well-being. clinical nursing supervision have a positive effect on nurses physical symptoms and their feeling of anxiety as well as having a sense of being in control of the situation. We also conclude that psychosocial work have an influence on nurses experience of having or not having control and their engagement and motivation.
