Perceived stress, resilience, and psychological well-being among nurses: a comparative study of two municipalities in Ghana

Abstract Background Nurses experience high levels of stress, which can undermine psychological well-being and compromise quality of care. Resilience may be related to these outcomes; however, evidence from Ghana remains limited. This study examined perceived stress, resilience, and psychological well-being among nurses in two Ashanti Region municipalities, and explored their interrelationships and predictors of well-being. Method A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 310 nurses from Mampong ( n  = 181) and Agona ( n  = 129) Municipalities. Perceived stress, resilience, and psychological well-being were measured using the PSS-10, CD-RISC-10, and WHO-5 scales, respectively. Sociodemographic and work-related variables were collected using structured questionnaires. Chi-square tests assessed associations between sociodemographic variables, Spearman correlations examined relationships among stress, resilience, and well-being, and multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with psychological well-being. Results High stress was more prevalent in Agona (41.9%) than in Mampong (24.9%), while high resilience was more common in Mampong (13.8% vs. 8.5%). Perceived stress showed a moderate negative correlation with psychological well-being ( r  = − 0.655 to − 0.675, p  < 0.01) and resilience ( r  = − 0.552 to − 0.560, p  < 0.01). Resilience was moderately and positively correlated with psychological well-being ( r  = 0.571 to 0.603, p  < 0.01). In multivariable analysis, higher resilience was associated with greater odds of good psychological well-being (AOR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.13–1.28), whereas higher perceived stress was associated with reduced odds of good psychological well-being (AOR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.83–0.91). Rotational shift work was also associated with lower odds of good psychological well-being (AOR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.13–0.94). Conclusions Perceived stress is common among nurses in the Ashanti Region and is associated with poorer psychological well-being, whereas higher resilience is associated with better well-being. These findings highlight the potential importance of stress reduction and resilience-building interventions; however, longitudinal and interventional studies are needed to determine their effectiveness and establish causal relationships. Clinical trial number Not applicable.