Concept Analysis of “Role strain” according to Walker and Avant’s Approach

Nursing is a job with intense stress requiring strong skills and high concentration while working in a group and providing full-time care. Considering the importance of role strain and its consistency in nursing, these definitions are borrowed from other occupations. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to elaborate on this concept and provide an analytical definition.

This study was conducted based on Walker and Avant’s concept analysis approach in eight stages: selecting a concept, determining the aims of analysis, identifying all uses of the concept, determining the defining attributes, providing a model case, providing borderline, related, contrary, invented, and illegitimate cases, identifying antecedents and consequences, and defining empirical referents. An extensive search in scientific databasesof SCOPUS, PUBMED, PROQUEST SCIENCE, Medline, Scopus, google Scholar, SID, IRANMedex and MAGIRAN by using the phrases of Role Tension, Role Pressure, Role Discofort, Role strain, Burden of Role, Job Burden in Nursing& Care Giver was carried out based on predetermined strategies, and 18 documents were reviewed. Accordingly, the defining attributes of the concept were extracted.

Judging by several articles, Role Strain is a multifaceted concept that is effected by number of reasons; such as staff health and wellbeing, professional qualification, motivation, attitude, work environment, leading and management strategies, working community, financial and family issues. Role Strain can be defined as "the felt difficulty in fulfilling role obligations".

Harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the person cannot meet the responsibilities of his/her role because of unsuitable abilities and facilities, is called Role Strain and it results in some alterations in the personchr('39')s psychological mindset. These alterations change the personchr('39')s regular behavior and it happens when the mind and the body of the person are not in the same page.