COMPARISON OF COGNITIVE AND PHYSICAL INTERVENTIONS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF WORK STRESS IN CRITICAL CARE NURSES (COGNITIVE INTERVENTIONS, STRESS MANAGEMENT).
Contributors: University of California, Riverside.
Published: 1989
Number of pages: 159
Subjects: Psychology, Social.; Psychology, Personality.
Description: A study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of regular physical exercise and cognitive relaxation in reducing perceived work stress and burnout in critical care nurses. A transactional model of stress, emphasizing the appraisal of stress within a dynamic interaction of person and situation, was utilized. Both perceived daily irritant stress and feelings of burnout within and outside of work were used as dependent measures.

Out of three hundred thirteen critical care nurses, fifty-two initially participated, and twenty-three completed the entire eight weeks of the study. Data on subjects who completed the study were analyzed after the fourth week.

Subjects completed an initial questionnaire containing personality, expressiveness, daily irritant stress, burnout, and tedium measures. In a two by two factorial design, subjects were randomly assigned to receive either low-impact aerobic exercise, visualization as cognitive relaxation, a combination of exercise and cognitive relaxation, or were part of a control group. All interventions were presented on forty-five minute audio cassette tapes and were completed by subjects three times a week at home. Subjects completed daily diary sheets on work days and answered questionnaires after four and eight weeks.

Overall the intervention had no significant effect on stress or burnout outside of work. In evaluating the effects of the interventions on work-defined burnout, the exercise group reported an increase in feelings of depersonalization intensity and the cognitive group showed a decreased sense of personal accomplishment. These results are associated with higher levels of work defined burnout. The combination group reported higher levels of work-defined burnout and stress. Results are discussed in terms of time constraints of professional adults, difficulties in changing behaviors, different appraisals of similar situations, and the low number of subjects. Problems of low recruitment and attrition are also discussed. Further research of the effectiveness of stress-reduction techniques, using adults in stressful situations rather than college students as subjects, is recommended.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-02, Section: B, page: 1044.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE, 1989.

School code: 0032.