Happiness at work and psychological trauma in nurses

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the relationship between happiness levels at work and psychological trauma in nurses and their variation according with sociodemographic/professional variables. Methods: cross-sectional study with 113 nurses. The sociodemographic/professional questionnaires applied were the Shorted Happiness at Work Scale and the Impact Event Scale Revised. Pearson’s correlation, Students T and Mann-Whitney’s tests were used. Results: there was a mean score of 4.25 (±1.05) in the Shorted Happiness at Work Scale and 24.8 (±13.9) in the Impact Event Scale Revised. The variables sex, dependents, and leisure activities influenced job satisfaction; age, children, leisure activities, professional experience, and work shift influenced psychological trauma. There was a negative weak correlation between job satisfaction and psychological trauma (r=-0.270). Conclusion: nurses showed moderate levels of happiness at work and low levels of psychological trauma, suggesting that higher levels of happiness may protect them from psychological traumas.