Abstract
Nursing staff employed in acute psychiatric care are exposed to incidents of violence,
aggression and trauma at a rate far higher than that of the general population. Such staff are
at an increased risk of developing psychological symptomatology and/or burnout in response
to such stressors. The aims of this study are to investigate the incidence of these and other
stressors within a sample of nursing staff, to examine variables within this sample which
might mediate or moderate the effects of such stressors, and to examine the outcomes or
responses of individuals to these variables. This study investigates the relationship between
these variables, and in so doing builds on existing research and models for understanding
occupational stress. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaire measures were carried out
with a sample of fifty-nine members of nursing staff employed in acute in-patient psychiatric
care in Royal Dundee Liff Hospital. The results are discussed in the context of the current
literature, and the implications of high levels of psychological symptomatology and burnout
in the nursing service are considered.
