Pleasure, suffering and interpersonal communication in the work of nurses in the hospital setting

Abstract

Objective: to correlate pleasure and suffering at work with nurses’ interpersonal communication in the hospital environment. Method: a cross-sectional, exploratory, descriptive and correlational study, with a quantitative approach, conducted from October to November 2017, with 152 nurses working at a University Hospital in Northeast Brazil. The data were collected through interviews, using an instrument with sociodemographic and work-related variables, the Pleasure and Suffering Indicators at Work Scale and the Interpersonal Communication Competence Scale, being analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: it was observed that the experience of pleasure was satisfactory, while the factors of suffering obtained a critical assessment. The nurses surveyed had high means in all the domains of competence in interpersonal communication. The analysis of the correlation between interpersonal communication and the indicators of pleasure and suffering showed significant values, with the level of communication proportional to the experience of pleasure. On the other hand, communication decreased, as suffering at work increased. Conclusion: the positive and negative experiences at work significantly influence the interpersonal communication of nurses and of the health professionals/multidisciplinary team.