Perceived stress and health behaviors among nurses in Poland and Slovakia: a cross-sectional comparative study
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Nursing, Institute of Health Protection, The Bronisław Markiewicz Academy of Applied Sciences
- 2Collegium Medicum, Institute of Nursing, University of Rzeszów
- 3St. Elizabeth University of Health and Social Work
- 4Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Catholic University in Ružomberok
- 5Department of Health Care Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Tomas Bata University in Zlin
- 6Department of Integrated Medical Care, Medical University of Białystok
Abstract
Introduction: Occupational stress represents a substantial burden on nurses’ physical and mental health and has been associated with less favorable health behaviors. Despite the large body of research on occupational stress, there is still a lack of comparative studies examining the relationship between perceived stress levels and health behaviors among nurses in Central European countries. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between perceived stress levels and health behaviors among nurses employed in healthcare institutions in Poland and Slovakia, as well as to examine the associations of selected sociodemographic and occupational factors with the variables analyzed.
Materials and methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted involving 307 nurses, including 145 from Poland and 162 from Slovakia. An original survey questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and the Health Behavior Inventory (HBI) were utilized. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann–Whitney U test and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: No significant differences were found between nurses from Poland and Slovakia in perceived stress levels ( p = 0.551). Nurses from Slovakia had significantly higher scores for overall health behaviors, positive mental attitude, and preventive behaviors ( p < 0.05), while the difference in health practices was at the threshold of statistical significance ( p = 0.049; Monte Carlo p = 0.050). In both groups, significant negative correlations were found between perceived stress levels and health behaviors (ρ ranging from −0.179 to −0.427; p < 0.05). The study groups differed in terms of age and length-of-service distributions, which should be taken into account when interpreting between-group comparisons.
Conclusion: Higher levels of perceived stress were associated with less favorable health behaviors in both groups of nurses. Despite similar levels of perceived stress, nurses from Slovakia achieved higher overall health behavior scores than nurses from Poland. Given the cross-sectional design of the study and the sociodemographic and occupational differences between the groups, between-country comparisons should be interpreted with caution. The findings highlight the importance of interventions aimed at reducing occupational stress and promoting health-enhancing behaviors among nursing staff.
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BibTeX
@article{tomaszewska2026perceived,
title = {{Perceived stress and health behaviors among nurses in Poland and Slovakia: a cross-sectional comparative study}},
author = {Katarzyna Tomaszewska and Bożena Majchrowicz and Ľudmila Matulníková and Helena Kadučáková and Katarína Zrubáková and Alicja Kłos and Krystyna Kowalczuk},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1976809},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1976809/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Perceived stress and health behaviors among nurses in Poland and Slovakia: a cross-sectional comparative study
AU - Katarzyna Tomaszewska
AU - Bożena Majchrowicz
AU - Ľudmila Matulníková
AU - Helena Kadučáková
AU - Katarína Zrubáková
AU - Alicja Kłos
AU - Krystyna Kowalczuk
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1976809
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1976809/full
AB - Introduction: Occupational stress represents a substantial burden on nurses’ physical and mental health and has been associated with less favorable health behaviors. Despite the large body of research on occupational stress, there is still a lack of comparative studies examining the relationship between perceived stress levels and health behaviors among nurses in Central European countries. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between perceived stress levels and health behaviors among nurses employed in healthcare institutions in Poland and Slovakia, as well as to examine the associations of selected sociodemographic and occupational factors with the variables analyzed. Materials and methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted involving 307 nurses, including 145 from Poland and 162 from Slovakia. An original survey questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and the Health Behavior Inventory (HBI) were utilized. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann–Whitney U test and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: No significant differences were found between nurses from Poland and Slovakia in perceived stress levels ( p = 0.551). Nurses from Slovakia had significantly higher scores for overall health behaviors, positive mental attitude, and preventive behaviors ( p < 0.05), while the difference in health practices was at the threshold of statistical significance ( p = 0.049; Monte Carlo p = 0.050). In both groups, significant negative correlations were found between perceived stress levels and health behaviors (ρ ranging from −0.179 to −0.427; p < 0.05). The study groups differed in terms of age and length-of-service distributions, which should be taken into account when interpreting between-group comparisons. Conclusion: Higher levels of perceived stress were associated with less favorable health behaviors in both groups of nurses. Despite similar levels of perceived stress, nurses from Slovakia achieved higher overall health behavior scores than nurses from Poland. Given the cross-sectional design of the study and the sociodemographic and occupational differences between the groups, between-country comparisons should be interpreted with caution. The findings highlight the importance of interventions aimed at reducing occupational stress and promoting health-enhancing behaviors among nursing staff.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -