Self perceived work related stress and the relation with salivary IgA and lysozyme among emergency department nurses
Open Access
- 1 December 2002
- journal article
- research article
- Published by BMJ in Occupational and Environmental Medicine
- Vol. 59 (12), 836-841
- https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.59.12.836
Abstract
Aims: To assess and compare the self perceived work related stress among emergency department (ED) and general ward (GW) nurses, and to investigate its relation with salivary IgA and lysozyme. Methods: One hundred and thirty two of 208 (63.5%) registered female ED and GW nurses participated in the study. A modified mental health professional stress scale (PSS) was used to measure self perceived stress. ELISA methods were used to determine the salivary IgA and lysozyme levels. Results: On PSS, ED nurses had higher scores (mean 1.51) than GW nurses (1.30). The scores of PSS subscales such as organisational structure and processes (OS), lack of resources (RES), and conflict with other professionals (COF) were higher in ED than in GW nurses. ED nurses had lower secretion rates of IgA (geometric mean (GM) 49.1 μg/min) and lysozyme (GM 20.0 μg/min) than GW nurses (68.2 μg/min, 30.5 μg/min). Significant correlations were observed between PSS and log IgA and lysozyme secretion rates. OS, RES, and COF were correlated with log IgA and lysozyme levels. Conclusion: ED nurses, who reported a higher level of professional stress, showed significantly lower secretion rates of salivary IgA and lysozyme compared to GW nurses. Salivary IgA and lysozyme were inversely correlated with self perceived work related stress. As these salivary biomarkers are reflective of the mucosal immunity, results support the inverse relation between stress and mucosal immunity.Keywords
This publication has 26 references indexed in Scilit:
- Are Salivary Immunoglobulin A and Lysozyme Biomarkers of Stress Among Nurses?Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 1999
- Salivary lysozyme: A noninvasive marker for the study of the effects of stress on natural immunityInternational Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 1997
- A population-based study of salivary lysozyme concentrations and candidal countsArchives of Oral Biology, 1997
- Salivary IgA secretion rate in young and elderly personsPhysiology & Behavior, 1996
- Development of a stress scale for mental health professionalsBritish Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1996
- Biochemical Composition of Human Saliva in Relation To Other Mucosal FluidsCritical Reviews in Oral Biology & Medicine, 1995
- Measurement of salivary immunoglobulin A as an immunologic biomarker of job stress.1992
- Lysozyme and IgA concentrations in serum and saliva from psoriatic patients.Acta Dermato-Venereologica, 1992
- The management of stress and prevention of burnout in emergency nurses.1990
- What's new in lysozyme research?Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 1984