THE STUDY OF ROLE CONFLICT, ROLE DISSONANCE, AND JOB-RELATED STRESS IN RELATION TO THE ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT OF STAFF NURSES AND THEIR PROPENSITY TO LEAVE THE HOSPITAL SETTING (NURSES, STRESS).
Contributors: University of Texas at Austin.
Published: 1989
Number of pages: 379
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Psychology, Industrial.
Description: The purpose of this study was to examine role conflict, role dissonance, and job related stress in relation to staff nurses' commitment to the hospital where they were working and their propensity to leave this organization. It was hypothesized that there would be no significant relationships between the selected stressors of role conflict, role dissonance, and job related stress with the organizational commitment of staff nurses and the propensity for them to leave the hospital where they work. In addition, there would be no significant relationships between selected personal and organizational characteristics in regard to perceived job stressors, organizational commitment, and propensity to leave the hospital setting.

The sample consisted of 230 randomly selected staff nurses working full-time in Texas hospitals. They completed a six-part questionnaire which included a role conflict scale, role dissonance instrument, nursing stress inventory, organizational commitment questionnaire, and propensity to leave index. The role dissonance instrument was developed by the investigator. Validity and reliability were established through a pilot study. Data were analyzed by frequency statistics, Pearson's product-moment correlations, F ratio statistics to test for significant differences between correlations, and stepwise regression analysis.

The results of this study did not support the stated null hypotheses, but instead indicated positive, significant (p $\leq$.001) relationships between: (1) role dissonance and role conflict; (2) role dissonance and job related stress; (3) role conflict and job related stress; (4) role conflict and propensity to leave; and (5) job related stress and propensity to leave. There were negative, significant (p $\leq$.05) relationships between organizational commitment and role dissonance, role conflict, job related stress, and propensity to leave. In regression equations to predict the amount of organizational commitment staff nurses may have and their propensity to leave the hospital setting, the variables of role conflict and job related stress entered into the two equations.

The various relationships reported in this study provide support to the theoretical framework used in this research study. This study provides a predictive model that hospitals and other organizations can use to determine if certain job stressors are constructive or destructive in nature as well as where staff members are along the organizational commitment-propensity to leave continuum.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-03, Section: B, page: 1194.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, 1989.

School code: 0227.