An examination of role strain for university nurse faculty and its relation to socialization experiences and personal characteristics

The purpose of this study is to describe the degree of perceived role strain and the major sources of role strain in nurse faculty employed in major universities; and to explore the relationship between selected socialization experiences and personal characteristics and the degree of role strain experienced. The sample (N = 102) was comprised of full-time tenure track nurse faculty employed in major universities that offered National League for Nursing-accredited undergraduate and graduate programs in nursing, and were located in institutions classified as Research Universities I by the Carnegie Council on Policy Studies in Higher Education (1987). The majority of faculty were experiencing some degree of role strain, with a substantial number experiencing moderate to high degrees of role strain. The major sources of role strain were role overload and both intrasender and interrole conflict. Analysis of the relationship between socialization experiences and personal characteristics and the degree of role strain experienced revealed nine statistically significant relationships. Implications for administrators and faculty are discussed.