Shiftwork and department‐type related to job stress, work attitudes and behavioral intentions: A study of nurses

Abstract The present study examined the relationship of shiftwork and department‐type with employees' job stress, stressors, work attitudes and behavioral intention. Data were collected by means of a structured questionnaire from nurses ( N = 1148) working in eight hospitals in a large, metropolitan city in eastern Canada. One‐way ANOVA, MANOVA and two‐way ANOVA were used to analyze data. Results generally support the prediction that nurses working on fixed shifts were better off than nurses working on rotating shifts in terms of the dependent variables of the present study. The prediction that nurses working in non‐intensive care departments were better off than nurses working in intensive care departments received mixed support at best. A few interaction effects of shiftwork × department‐type on dependent variables were also noted. The impact of socio‐demographic variables — age, marital status, cultural background (English‐ versus French‐speaking) — on the above relationships were also analyzed. Results are discussed in light of the previous empirical evidence on shiftwork and department‐type.