Life satisfaction and its determinants: a survey on Iranian nurses population

Evaluation of life dissatisfaction should be one of the main components of managers’ efforts to perform appropriate policies for promoting quality of work life and improving productivity of nurses. Thus the aim of the present study was to examine life satisfaction level and its determinants among a sample of Iranian nurses.In this descriptive study, 309 nurses qualifying in medical care network, randomly selected from eight medical centers using stratified random sampling method were included. Information of different aspects of living and working situations were collected by a questionnaire and life satisfaction was also measured by the Life Satisfaction Index A (LSIA).Data were analyzed by descriptive and stepwise logistic regression model at p < 0.05 using SPSS 19. Mean score of the LSIA questionnaire was 25.47 ± 6.51; 253 (81.9%) nursing staffs reported were satisfied and only 56 (18.1%) dissatisfied. The satisfaction rate was higher in men compared with women (95.7% versus 80.8%). All nurses working in surgery and psychiatry wards satisfied in lives; whereas dissatisfaction rate was the highest among emergency ward (23.7%) and operating room (23.1%) nurses. There was a positive correlation between life satisfaction score and nurse’s income (R = 0.173, p = 0.002). In married ones, multivariable stepwise regression analysis showed that male gender was a main determinant of higher life satisfaction score (p = 0.027). Among single nurses, only higher workload as having a second job had an adverse correlation with life satisfactions score (p < 0.001). Life satisfaction among nurses can be potentially influenced by gender and high work load indicators as well as level of their income. The results also provide empirical support for a positive relationship between work condition and nurses life satisfaction.