Objectives: To demonstrate the actual state of job stress and burnout among nurses and care workers working in psychiatric wards by comparing them with those who serve in internal medicine wards. Methods: A survey was conducted of female ward nurses and care workers working at two psychiatric hospitals and two general hospitals in the Chugoku area using the brief job stress questionnaire and the Maslach burnout inventory-Japanese version. A total of 232 female nurses and care workers were analyzed, 125 from psychiatric wards and 107 from internal medicine wards. Results: Job stressors of stress due to workplace environment, job control, skill utilization, job aptitude and worthwhileness of working life were significantly greater in psychiatric wards than in internal medicine wards. Stress of quantitative and qualitative workloads, however, was significantly lower in psychiatric wards than in internal medicine wards. For job stress reaction, vigor was significantly lower in psychiatric wards than in internal medicine wards. For burnout, psychiatric wards scored significantly higher in depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment compared with internal medicine wards. Conclusions: Reviewing these results and their association with stress control policy in psychiatric wards, we suggest that three factors are important: maintaining working environment, enhancing conferences, and providing learning opportunities.

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