International Journal of Healthcare Sciences ISSN 2348-5728 (Online) Vol. 10, Issue 1, pp: (100-115), Month: April 2022 - September 2022, Available at: www.researchpublish.com Page | 100 Research Publish Journals THE PREVALENCE AND SOURCES OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AMONGST HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN RIVERS STATE Onyiri, Chinenyenwa Jacqueline (PhD), Amadi, Kingsley Moses (PhD), Sunday, Barine Edwin (PhD), Chinda Samuel Chiburoma (PhD) Human Kinetics, Health and Safety Department, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6786555 Published Date: 01-July-2022 Abstract: This study investigated the prevalence and sources of occupational stress amongst healthcare workers in in Rivers State. The descriptive, cross-sectional design was used for the study. The population of the study comprised of 36,876 healthcare workers in Rivers State, with a sample size of 828 healthcare workers which was determined using the Borners’s formulae, and selected using the multistagesampling technique. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection and analysis was done using frequency, percentages, mean and standard deviation for research questions and Z-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for test of hypotheses. The finding of the study showed that there was no significant difference in the mean rating of the level of stress experienced by healthcare workers in Rivers State based on age [F (3, 727) = 0.477; p>0.05]; there was no significant difference in the mean rating of the level of stress experienced by healthcare workers in Rivers State based on marital status [F (3, 727) = 0.470; p>0.05]; amongst others. The study concluded that demographically, there was no significant difference in the level of stress among healthcare workers in Rivers Sate based on age and marital status. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that healthcare workers should identify the peculiar sources and causes of stress and utilize that knowledge to modify and adopt positive work-time behaviour that will assist in reducing the level of stress inherent among the healthcare workers, amongst others. Keywords: Occupational stress, healthcare workers, Rivers State. 1. INTRODUCTION Background to the study Occupational stress is a challenge to healthcare professional mostly healthcare workers because healthcare as a job that require full commitment without compromise even in most high profile specialist hospitals due to the large number of patients in daily attendance. Nursing have high level of prevalence of stress as compared to other health care professionals (Health and Safety Executive, 2014). Global Emotions Report (2019), estimated that about 2/3 rd of 143 countries experienced a lot of stress at work of which Phillipine, Tanzania, Uganda, and Nigeria is at the highest pick accounted for 58%. 57%, 56%, and 55.5% respectively. Studies of Kaburi, Bio, Kubio, Ameme, Kenu, Sackey and Afari, (2019) reported that occupational stress among health care professional varies between 9.2% to 68.2% in recent times. However, occupational stress is the harmful physical and emotional responses that occurs when the requirement of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of workers (Zakarin, Wright, & Blake 2016). Healthcare profession is highly stressful occupation with high and complicated demands. The high job demands and high combination of too much responsibility and too little authority are likely to contribute to primary causes of stress in nursing occupation (Zakarin et al, 2016).