Job satisfaction among nursing personnel: application of the Italian version of the Stamps Index of Work Satisfaction (1997)

Background: A high level of job satisfaction among nurses is related to a feeling of wellbeing, productivity and patient satisfaction. Furthermore job satisfaction is considered capable of reducing turnover and absenteeism. Objectives: This contribution describes the first application of the Italian version of Stamps' Index of Work Satisfaction (1997), consisting of a 44 item questionnaire used to evaluate job satisfaction among professional nurses operating in healthcare organizations. Methods: Working in four different hospitals of the Piemdont and Lombardy regions. Results: Analysis of the principal components revealed the presence of seven factors (Autonomy, Professional status, Pay, job requirements, Work Organization policies, Interaction with physicians, Interaction with nurses) with an elevated internal coherence that explains 52% of the total variance. The first five factors coincided with those defined by Stamps (1997), while the last two were the result of the separation of the original "Interactions" factor. Validity, measured by correlation with a single item of job satisfaction, was good. The reliability of the entire questionnaire and the single sub-scales, measured by Cronbach's alpha coefficient and item-total correlations, was satisfactory and the scores' distribution curves were symmetrical. The sample's job satisfaction levels appeared higher for Professional status, Interaction with nurses and Autonomy factors, but regarding Work Organization policies, Task requirements and Pay factors perceptions of dissatisfaction emerged. The variability of perceived job satisfaction appeared related to age, service seniority and hospital. Conclusions: Subject to further confirmation of validity and reliability, the questionnaire may be used as a tool to survey the job satisfaction levels perceived by professional nurses operating in healthcare organizations, with the additional purpose of identfying management strategies and target groups in which to carry out specific activities aimed at promoting job satisfaction.