This study investigated various PsYchological aspects of Greek female
nurses who worked in a variety of hospital settings. One hundred and t
wenty-six female nurses were given the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (
STAI) and the Symptom Check List-90-R (SCL-90-R). The nurses scored si
gnificantly higher on both of the STAI scales i.e. state and trait anx
iety as well as on many of the SCL-90-R scales i.e. the General Sympto
m Index, somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity
, depression, anxiety and paranoid ideation, compared to the adjusted
norms. The nurses who work in a General Hospital setting appear to be
more psychologically disturbed than psychiatric nurses. It was further
found that psychological symptoms were more common in younger and les
s experienced nurses, while the nurses' rank, years of education, the
amount of time spent with patients and duties worked in intensive care
units do not influence the manifestations of psychological difficulti
es. The above findings are discussed in relation to the pertinent lite
rature and some suggestions are made regarding the necessity of improv
ing nurses' training and environmental management in Greece.