Abstract
This study examined nursing staff's stress response in connection with the quality of relationship with supervisors, their perception of the supervisor's evaluation of their relationship, and stress coping. Examinations of both formal and informal relationships with supervisors demonstrated that the latter affected their psychological stress responses more than the former. Stress connected to emotional suppression was found in relationships with supervisors as well as with patients. Perception of supervisors' evaluations of informal relationships with them was positively associated with psychological stress. Results for interpersonal stress coping were generally consistent with an earlier study dealing with relationships among patients and nurses. Therefore, interpersonal stress among nurses derives from both patients and supervisors.
