job satisfaction, occupational stress and mental health among nurses in the greater accra ...

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THEBALME LIBRARY
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JOB SATISFACTION, OCCUPATIONAL STRESS
AND MENTAL HEALTH AMONG NURSES IN THE
GREATER ACCRA METROPOLIS.
AKU ACQUAYE
This thesis is submitted to the University of Ghana, Legon
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the award of
M.Phil Psychology Degree.
JUNE 2007.
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DECLARATION
I, Aku Acquaye, hereby declare that this dissertation has been done by me under the
supervision of Dr. R. Akuamoah-Boateng and Dr. Charity A. Akotia. This dissertation has
never been presented either in part or in whole to any institution for the award of any degree.
Where views and ideas of others have been used, they have been duly acknowledged.
All errors and omissions are mine.
AKU ACQUAYE
(STUDENT)
DR. R'. AKUAMOAH-BOATENG
(SUPERVISOR) (SUPERVISOR)
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DEDICATION
I dedicate this work to my dear mum Miss Esther Addawoo, my son Sena Kofi Abotsi, my
siblings Adukwei and Kailee Acquaye and my nephew Nii Obodei Tetteh.
ii
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The LORD, is my strength and my salvation; He has become the author and finisher of my
faith. Glory is to the Lord Almighty for making it possible for me to bring this project to a
successful completion. May His great name be praised for ever and ever. Amen.
My sincere thanks and heart-felt gratitude go to my kind, loving and resourceful supervisors,
Dr. R. Akuamoah-Boateng, and Dr. Charity S. Akotia, who took the pain to review of the
drafts of each chapter and offered valuable and constructive suggestions which have enriched
this project.
My next thanks go to Miss Esther Addawoo for her unquantifiable support in my education
and life in general. Mum, I am very grateful for everything you have done for me.
I would also like to thank Sena Kofi Abotsi, for supporting me by giving me some peace of
mind while I was doing this work. God richly bless you.
My valuable respondents and management of their organizations greatly deserve my
appreciation. For without them, this work would never be complete.
Finally, I would like to thank all my friends for their support in diverse forms (Anyone who
contributed in any way, I say God richly bless you all. A special thank goes to my parents and
siblings for the invaluable support and understanding.
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ABSTRACT
This study examines the influence of job satisfaction and stress on mental health of nurses. A
total of one hundred and forty (140) nurses were made to complete survey items on index of
job satisfaction questionnaire, stress situation questionnaire and the General Health
questionnaire. The finding revealed that job satisfaction was positively related to mental
health. There was no difference among nurses who were highly or less stressed with regards
to mental health. Job satisfaction predicted mental health than stress. The results of the
present study and their implications are discussed.
The study also examined job stress and tenure on one hand, as well as job satisfaction and
tenure, results showed that tenure did not have any influence on job satisfaction. Also there
was non-significant negative correlation betweenjob stresses and tenure.
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TABLE OF CONTENT.....................................................................................................................PAGE
Declaration ...................................................................................................................i
Dedication ..................................................................................................................ii
Acknowledgement......................................................................................................................iii
Abstract ...................................................................................................................iv
CHAPTER ONE ..................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................1
1.0 Background of the Study......................................................................................................6
1.1 Problem Statement...............................................................................................................8
1.2 Aims and Objectives............................................................................................................9
1.3 Relevance of the Study........................................................................................................9
CHAPTER TWO.........................................................................................................................10
LITERATURE REVIEW...........................................................................................................10
2.0 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK......................................................................................10
2.1 Introduction...........................................................................................................................10
2.2 Theories of Job Satisfaction...............................................................................................11
2.2.1 Motivation-Hygiene Theory..............................................................................................11
2.2.2 Life Satisfaction.................................................................................................................11
2.3 Theories of Occupational Stress.......................................................................................12
2.3.1 Lazarus Cognitive-Related Theory.................................................................................14
2.3.2 Dynamic Equilibrium Theory..........................................................................................15
2.3.3 Personality and Organizational Factors..........................................................................16
2.4 Mental Health......................................................................................................................20
2.4.1 Mental Illness....................................................................................................................21
2.4.2 The Process Theory of Psychology.................................................................................22
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2.5 Review of Related Studies...................................................................................................24
2.5.1 Stress, Job Satisfaction and Mental Health......................................................................24
2.5.2 Stress, Coping Strategies and Mental Health.................................................................28
2.5.3 Job Stress and Mental Health...........................................................................................28
2.5.4 Job Satisfaction and Mental Health.................................................................................31
2.5.5 Mental Health.....................................................................................................................32
2.5.6 Job Satisfaction and Tenure.............................................................................................33
2.5.7 Job Stress and Tenure........................................................................................................33
2.5.8 Job Satisfaction and Job Stress........................................................................................34
2.6 Hypothesis............................................................................................................................35
2.7 Operational Definition of Terms........................................................................................37
CHAPTER THREE......................................................................................................................37
MEHODOLOGY..........................................................................................................................37
3.0 Subject/Sample and Population............................................................................................37
3.1 Sample Profile.......................................................................................................................38
3.2 Research Design...................................................................................................................39
3.3 Instruments............................................................................................................................39
3.4 Questionnaire/Data Collection Instrument........................................................................40
3.4.1 Demographic Data..............................................................................................................40
3.4.2 The index of Satisfaction Questionnaire..........................................................................41
3.4.3 Stressful Situation Questionnaire.....................................................................................41
3.4.4 The general Health Questionnaire.....................................................................................43
3.4.5 Pretest..................................................................................................................................45
3.4 Data Collection Procedure....................................................................................................45
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CHAPTER FOUR...................................................................................................... 47
RESULTS....................................................................................................................... 47
Inroduction....................................................................................................................... 47
4.1 Summary of Results................................................................................................. 55
CHAPTER 5.................................................................................................................. 56
Disscussion....................................................................................................................... 56
5.1 Contribution.................................................................................................................. 61
5.2 Limitation and Recommendation................................................................................ 62
5.3 Conclusion.................................................................................................................. 62
REFRENCES.................................................................................................................. 63
APPENDICES 81
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List of Tables Page
Table 1: Means and Standard Deviation of mental health among
Respondents categorized Job Satisfaction and stress............................. 52
Table 2: Two-way ANOVA Summary Table on the Effects of
Job Satisfaction on the effectsOf Job Satisfaction on
Mental Health of Ghanaian Nurses......................................................... 53
Table 3: Means and standard deviation of stress, job satisfaction
and mental health reported by respondents.............................................. 54
Table 4: Standard multiple regression summary table on relation
betweenjob satisfaction, stress and mental health of nurses.................. 55
Table 5: Means and standard deviation of stress and number of years in service.. 56
Table 6: Pearson’s product moment correlation summary table
and correlation between tenure and stress................................................ 57
Table 7: Mean and standard deviation of job satisfaction and
number of years in service....................................................................... 58
Table 8: Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient Summary
on Correlation between Tenure and Job Satisfaction............................ 58
Table 9: Mean and Standard Deviation of Job Satisfaction and Stress....... 59
Table 10. Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient Summary
Table on Correlation between Stress and Job Satisfaction........... 59