The relations of stress, power, and job satisfaction in female nurse managers within Rogers' Science of Unitary Human Being

A study of the relations of job satisfaction, stress, and power in 124 female nurse managers-was conducted. Rogers' Science of Unitary Human Beings and Barrett's power theory guided the theoretical rationale for the study. Stress was defined within the Rogerian framework for the first time. A Rogerian view of job satisfaction was likened to optimal experience as defined by Csikszentmihalyi. The instruments used in the study were The Work Quality Index, The Cantril Ladder, and The Power As Knowing Participation In Change Test.;The nurse managers were found to be high in job satisfaction and power. While job satisfaction scores were positively correlated to power, the scores were not significantly related to stress. Other findings indicated that autonomy and job enactment scores were significantly related to job satisfaction, that managers in larger institutions were better educated, and nurses with more education had higher salaries: Salary was not significantly related to job satisfaction alone but the benefits subscale, which included salary among other things, was positively correlated with job satisfaction. Responsibility for direct patient care was positively correlated with the professional relationships subscale of job satisfaction and with stress. Participants in the study who were better educated were less likely to have direct care responsibilities. Direct care responsibilities were not related to the size of the institution, but they were related to the size of the unit.;The researcher concluded that the stress instrument was not sensitive enough to capture the stress experience, particularly as it related to the job, to find a relation between job satisfaction and stress. Development of an instrument to more fully capture the stress experience was recommended. The job satisfaction/power relation was explained by the theoretical rationale. Persons high in power would seek job opportunities where they could experience their power. The participants in this study found the challenges of the job congruent with their power manifestation which partially supported the concept of optimal experience. The contribution of the intrinsic nature of nursing to the concept of optimal experience is suggested but was not explored in this study.