*Research Scholar, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India.
**Associate Professor & Head, Nirmala Niketan, College of Home Science, Mumbai, India.
Online published on 3 December, 2012.
The aim of the paper is to throw light upon the stressors experienced by healthcare professionals working with patients with HIV/AIDS in selected public hospitals in Mumbai. The sample consisted of 48 participants (16 doctors, 16 nurses and 16 laboratory technicians). A scale to measure the levels of stress was developed by the researchers and in-depth interviews were used to gain a better understanding of the nature of the stress experienced by the participants. Overall the participants had low levels of stress (M=103.31, SD=63.16).
There was a significant difference between doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians on the stress scale (Kruskal-Wallis χ2=14.876, p=.001). While doctors (M=140.31) and nurses (M=111.88) were more stressed than laboratory technicians (M=57.75, p=.002), there was no significant difference between the stress levels of doctors (M=140.31) and nurses (M=111.88). It was seen that stress in relation to equipment/medical supplies (M= 15.9, SD= 8.428) and fear of contagion (M= 13.35, SD= 9.672) were two areas that triggered stress in many of the participants. The findings of the study will help mental health professionals to plan intervention programmes for HCP in need of the same and act as a basis for studying the coping strategies they use.
