INFLUENCE OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS, JOB CATEGORY AND WORK SAFETY PERCEPTION ON ORGANISATIONAL COMMITMENT AMONG PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICERS IN OSUN STATE, SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

Introduction: Public health workers are pivotal in the society as they work diligently using their expertise in alleviating diverse health challenges faced by the society. They face various challenges including stress, which could hamper performance or commitment to their jobs. Commitment of public health officers is thus of utmost importance. Based on their different job categories, public health workers are exposed to diverse forms of stress and perceive their work safety differently; these vital factors could impart their commitment
Objectives: This study aims to understand how occupational stress, job category and work safety perception of public health workers affects their organizational commitment. It was conducted using public health officers in public hospitals in Osun State, South-western Nigeria, with a view to understanding how to improve organizational commitment of public health workers.
Methods: Primary data was collected using questionnaire from a sample of 242 public health officers in two tertiary public hospitals in Osun State (Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital). Measures used in the study were tested for validity and reliability. Selection of respondents was done using stratified and proportionate sampling technique. Data were analyzed using mean, frequency, percentages, 2-way ANOVA and multiple comparison analysis.
Results: Analysis of variance shows no significant influence of occupational stress and work safety perception on organizational commitment. A significant influence of job category on organizational commitment (F{3,191}=2.8, p
Conclusion: The study concluded that Nurses are more committed than pharmacists and other categories of public health officers. It also suggests that occupational stress, work safety perception and their interaction may not significantly influence organizational commitment among public health workers; job category may be an influential factor on commitment of public health workers. This study should be extended to primary health centers and private hospitals.