Cytokines, such as angiogenin (ANG) and interleukin (IL-8) have been shown to be related to depressive symptoms or inflammatory diseases, like coronary heart diseases, and may be used as stress biomarkers to identify and prevent health problems in nurses. To investigate the relationship between cytokines and nurses’ job stress, urinary ANG or IL-8 were monitored in hospital nurses in Japan.

 

Methods

 

Results & Discussion

The fatigue and depression scores of POMS-SFJ subscales in the present study were higher than those of the general Japanese healthy population (2005). Therefore, the subjects in the present study seemed in a chronic stress state.

No significant differences in the POMS subscale scores, with the exception of the fatigue score, were observed among the high and low stress groups experiencing PPLC (Table 2). However, urinary ANG level in the high stress group experiencing PPLC was significantly higher than that in the low stress group (Figure 1A). Therefore, urinary ANG was considered to be a biomarker, which detected the physical distresses of nurses before they are conscious of the negative psychological states such as anger, hostility, and depression in the PPLC.

 

This study was supported by a grant-in-aid for scientific research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology of Japan.

 

Fukuda H, Ichinose T, Kusama T,Yoshidome A, Anndow K, Akiyoshi N, Shibamoto T. The Relationship between Job Stress and Urinary Cytokines in Healthy Nurses: a Cross-Sectional

Study. Biological Research For Nursing, Vol 10, No 2, 183-191,

 

 

 

Table 1. Nursing Stress, Urinary Bio-markers Levels and Mood States of the Hospital Female Nurses

 

All values are expressed as Mean ± SD. POMS = Profile of Mood States Scale (McNair, Lorr, & Droppleman, 1971; Yokoyama, 1990, 2005). NSS = Nursing Stress Scale (Kageyama et al., 2001).a. Urine cytokines and cortisol values were normalized to creatinine.

 

 

 

Table 2. Subjective Mental State by POMS-SFJ Scale in the High and Low Job Stresses Groups in the Each NSS Subscale

 

NOTE: All values are Mean ± SD. POMS = Profile of Mood States Scale (McNair, Lorr, & Droppleman, 1971; Yokoyama, 1990, 2005). NSS = Nursing Stress Scale (Kageyama, Nishikido, Kobayashi, Oga, & Kawashima, 2001). TMD = Total Mood Disturbance Scores. The subjects were classified into high and low stress groups by a mean split of the NSS subscales scores. The effect of the each stress on mood states was analyzed by ANCOVA with age as the covariate. a. p < 0.05. b. p < 0.01. c. p < 0.001

 

    

 

 

 

Figure 1. Effect of each stress in the NSS in urinary ANG and cortisol levels.

Note. All values are Mean ± SD. Urine cytokines and cortisol values were normalized to creatinine. Data were analyzed by ANCOVA with age as the covariate.

In A. High stress group, n = 83. Low stress group, n = 35.   

In B. High stress group, n = 59. Low stress group, n = 57.  

In C High stress group, n = 82. Low stress group, n = 36.   

 * p < 0 .05.