ABSTRACT
There are several stressful situations in nursing profession which could cause job dissatisfaction, low performance, and quit or turnover among nurses. These situations may lead to physical or mental problems which irreversibly disturb nursing care quality. In this regard, social support is a factor that buffer stressful situations. The aim of the study was to determine the level of nurses' occupational stress and its relation to social support in Medical Educational Centers of Iran University of Medical Science in 2006. A cross-sectional design was used in the study. The sample size was 373 subjects who were selected randomly among nurses with minimum of 6 months nursing experience with no managerial experience. The instruments of data collection consisted of demographic form, the Toft-Gray and Anderson Questionnaire and the McCain Marklin Social Integration Scale. The data were analyzed, with descriptive and inferential statistics [mean, standard deviation, chi-square, Fisher's exact test and Spearman coefficient of correlation] through SPSS-13. The results showed that the majority of nurses [59%], perceived high level of occupationl stress, 37% and 4% of the subjects had moderate and mild stress levels respectively. There was not any significant association between the variables of job stress and social support, however there was a significant association between job stress and age [P < 0.04, X2=12.95, r=-0.1]. Interestingly eighty five Percent of the subjects considered perceived support from coworkers, head nurses and supervisors respectively. A significant association between social support and working shifts was found [X2=8.13, P=0.01] too. It is concluded that nursing is a stressful occupation and the majority of nurses in the stressful working environment are confronting, with no social support. Therefore, it that increasing and development of social support could lead to reduce occupational stress in nurses