Role stress and personal resources in nursing: A cross-sectional study of burnout and engagement

Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence, Occupational Well-Being, and Work Engagement Among Chinese Clinical Nurses

PURPOSE

To identify the relationship between emotional intelligence, occupational well-being, and work engagement among Chinese clinical nurses.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study is based on survey responses provided by 1744 registered nurses from a Chinese hospital. The survey utilized emotional intelligence, occupational well-being, and work engagement scales.

RESULTS

A questionnaire was distributed to nurses, and among them, 1744 filled it in. Work engagement was related to demographic characteristics. The nurses' work engagement score was 28.99±5.46. Work engagement was positively correlated with emotional intelligence (r=.94, p < .01) and occupational well-being (r=.96, p < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

The current work engagement of nurses in China is at a medium level. It is influenced by emotional intelligence and occupational well-being.

The Role of Personal Demands and Personal Resources in Enhancing Study Engagement and Preventing Study Burnout

Using a 1-year longitudinal design, we examined the role of personal demands and personal resources in long-term health impairment and motivational processes among master students. Based on the job demands-resources theory and transactional model of stress, we hypothesized that students' personal demands (i.e., irrational performance demands, awfulizing and irrational need for control) predict perceived study demands one year later, and indirectly relate to burnout. Furthermore, we predicted that personal resources indirectly associate with study engagement via students' perceived study resources one year later. These hypotheses were tested in a sample of Dutch master students (N = 220 at T1 and T2) using structural equation modelling. As hypothesized, personal demands and personal resources at T1 predicted study demands and study resources one year later (T2, β = .25-.42, p <. 05), respectively. Study-home interference [study demand] mediated the association between personal demands and burnout (β = .08, p = .029), whereas opportunities for development [study resource] mediated the association between personal resources and study engagement (β = .08, p = .014). Hence, personal demands and personal resources relate indirectly to students' burnout and engagement one year later via a heightened level of specific study demands and study resources. Accordingly, the present research expands the propositions of the JD-R Theory by proposing personal demands as a relevant factor for students' long-term well-being.

Subjective well-being among PhD students in mainland China: the roles of psychological capital and academic engagement

The mental well-being of PhD students is a major concern in higher education. However, very few studies have investigated the influencing factors of PhD students' subjective well-being (SWB) - an important indicator of mental well-being. Even no study on the influencing factors of PhD students' SWB has been undertaken in mainland China. Based on job demands-resources theory, the present study pioneers the investigation of the relationship between PhD students' psychological capital (PsyCap; comprising self-efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism) and SWB (comprising positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction) in mainland China. It further examined the mediating role of academic engagement (comprising vigor, dedication, and absorption) in this relationship. PhD students (n = 376) from two comprehensive universities in Jiangsu province responded to an online survey. The results showed that (1) self-efficacy was positively associated with life satisfaction, hope was positively associated with positive affect, optimism was significantly associated with all three dimensions of SWB, but resilience was not significantly associated with any of the three SWB dimensions; and (2) dedication mediated the relationship between hope and life satisfaction and that between optimism and negative affect and life satisfaction, but vigor and absorption did not mediate any of the PsyCap-SWB relationships. Limitations and practical implications of this study are discussed.

Professional Quality of Life Among Professionals Working with People with Eating Disorders: The Interplay Between Meaning in Work, Optimism, and Career Duration

Purpose

Scientific literature findings reflect the challenges experienced by healthcare professionals (HCPs) whose work is dedicated to helping clients with eating disorders (EDs) in various treatment centers (wards). These challenges can affect the professional quality of life (comprised of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress) of HCPs. The present study delved into this relationship and explored the moderating role of dispositional optimism and the role of career duration in ED wards in the link between meaning in work and professional quality of life.

Methods

Two hundred HCPs working in ED wards in Israel were recruited through their professional social networks. Participants completed self-report questionnaires related to socio-demographic and work data, professional quality of life, meaning in work, and dispositional optimism.

Results

Career duration in ED wards was negatively associated with secondary traumatic stress, while dispositional optimism and meaning in work were positively associated with compassion satisfaction and negatively associated with burnout and secondary traumatic stress. With respect to the moderation effect of dispositional optimism and EDs ward career duration, the findings revealed that the positive relationship between meaning in work and compassion satisfaction weakened as dispositional optimism scores increased. Additionally, the negative relationship between meaning in life and burnout was significant only when the career duration in EDs wards was less than 12.31 years.

Conclusion

HCPs working in ED wards could draw on the findings to improve their professional quality of life, especially through enhancing meaning in work. Attention should be paid especially toward HCPs with many years (>12.31) of experience in the ED wards.

Empathic nurses with sufficient job resources are work-engaged professionals who deliver more individualized care

AIMS

This study examined whether nurse work engagement mediated the associations of job resources (collegial support and autonomy) and a personal resource (empathy) with individualized care delivery, in both hospital and long-term care settings. We also explored potential setting-specific differences in how strongly the resources were associated with work engagement and individualized care delivery among nurses.

DESIGN

We conducted a cross-sectional study in three hospitals and two long-term care facilities.

METHODS

In total, 454 nurses completed a web-based survey including validated measures on resources (collegial support, autonomy, empathy), work engagement and individualized care delivery. Data were analysed using mediation and moderated mediation analyses.

RESULTS

In both settings, all resources were indirectly associated with individualized care delivery via work engagement. Empathy was also directly associated with individualized care delivery, and a stronger association was found in the long-term care setting than in the hospital setting.

CONCLUSION

The present study showed work engagement to mediate the associations of job resources and empathy with individualized care delivery in both hospital and long-term care settings. Individualized care delivery was furthermore directly facilitated by high levels of empathy, especially among nurses working in long-term care settings.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE

Patients may benefit from better individualized care delivery by empathic nurses who are more work-engaged in the face of sufficient job resources in their practice environment.

IMPACT

Nurses are better able to deliver individualized care when provided with sufficient job resources (collegial support and autonomy) that support their being work-engaged professionals. Furthermore, empathic nurses also reported being able to better support patient individuality. These findings can be translated to policies of hospitals and long-term care facilities, to optimize job resources and enhance empathy and thus facilitate the support of patient individuality by nurses.

REPORTING METHOD

This study adhered to the STROBE guidelines.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

Nurses were involved in the design and data collection of the study.

Chronic stress and coping mechanisms among nurses in Lango sub-region, northern Uganda

AIM

This study aimed to assess chronic stress and coping mechanisms among nurses in Lango sub-region, northern Uganda, conducted between May and June 2022.

DESIGN

Institutional-based cross-sectional design conducted between May and June 2022.

METHODS

The study included 498 participants recruited from six health facilities. A 12-Item Short Form Survey tool was used to collect data on chronic stress, while a researcher-developed questionnaire was used to collect data on coping strategies. Descriptive statistics, binary logistic regression and multiple regression were conducted for data analysis. A p-value of 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Out of 498 participants, 153 (30.7%) were aged between 31 and 40 years, 341 (68.5%) were female, 288 (57.8%) were married, and 266 (53.4%) had less than Diploma. Of the 498 participants, 351 (70.5%) experienced chronic stress. The protective factors against chronic stress were being married (AOR: 0.132; 95% CI: 0.043-0.408; p < 0.001), optimizing shift length (AOR: 0.056; 95% CI: 0.027-0.115; p < 0.001), religiosity/Spirituality (AOR: 2.750; 95% CI: 1.376-5.497; p = 0.004), and regular exercise and breaks (AOR: 0.405; 95% CI: 0.223-0.737; p = 0.003).

Burnout syndrome and work engagement in nursing staff: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

A difficult and demanding work environment, such as that often experienced in healthcare, can provoke fatigue, anxiety, distress, and discomfort. This study considers factors that may influence levels of burnout and work engagement among nurses and seeks to determine the relationship between these conditions.

Method

A systematic scoping review was performed, in accordance with the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews, based on data obtained from a search of the PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus databases carried out in 2022 using the search equation: "work engagement AND nurs^* AND burnout." This search identified nine quantitative primary studies suitable for inclusion in our analysis.

Results

Work overload, type of shift worked, and/or area of hospital service, among other elements, are all relevant to the development of burnout. This syndrome can be countered by social support and appropriate personal resources and values, which are all positively associated with work engagement. Our analysis revealed a significant correlation between work engagement and the different domains of burnout. The correlation effect size between burnout and work engagement was -0.46 (95% CI -0.58, -0.31), with p < 0.001.

Conclusion

Well-targeted interventions in the healthcare work environment can reduce burnout levels, strengthen work engagement, and enhance the quality of healthcare.

Examining regulatory focus in the acceleration and deceleration of engagement and exhaustion cycles among nurses

BACKGROUND

Given that emotional exhaustion and nurse engagement have significant implications for nurse well-being and organizational performance, determining how to increase nurse engagement while reducing nurse exhaustion is of value.

PURPOSE

Resource loss and gain cycles, as theorized in conservation of resources theory, are examined using the experience of emotional exhaustion to evaluate loss cycles and work engagement to evaluate gain cycles. Furthermore, we integrate conservation of resources theory with regulatory focus theory to examine how the ways in which individuals approach work goals serves as a facilitator to the acceleration and deceleration of both of these cycles.

METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

Using data from nurses working in a hospital in the Midwest United States at six time points spanning over 2 years, we demonstrate the accumulation effects of the cycles over time using latent change score modeling.

RESULTS

We found that prevention focus was associated with the accelerated accumulation effects of emotional exhaustion and that promotion focus was associated with the accelerated accumulation effects of work engagement. Furthermore, prevention focus attenuated the acceleration of engagement, but promotion did not influence the acceleration of exhaustion.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that individual factors such as regulatory focus are key to helping nurses to better control their resource gain and loss cycles.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

We provide implications for nurse managers and health care administrators to help encourage promotion focus and suppress prevention focus in the workplace.

Role stress and organizational commitment in the service industry: a moderated mediation model of job burnout and transformational leadership

Purpose

Under the tenets of conservation of resources and role theories, this study has aimed to draw up and test a moderated-mediation model. The model postulates job burnout (JB) as a mediator between role stress (RS) and organizational commitment (OC) while transformational leadership (TFL) as a moderator to such mediation.

Design/methodology/approach

For this cross-sectional study, multisource field data from the service industry was collected using a convenient sampling procedure. A total of 354 employees participated in the anonymous survey. The proposed model of the study was tested with a hierarchical regression approach using Hayes PROCESS macro.

Findings

The data fitted best for the four-factor measurement model of the study. Afterward, the authors found that RS directly affected employees’ perception of OC. The relationship between RS and OC was partially mediated by JB. The authors ascertained the transformational leader’s buffering role between the RS-JB relationship and the transformational leader’s contingent indirect effect as well.

Originality/value

This research is a first-of-its-kind investigation into enlightening the direct and indirect link via JB between RS and OC and the moderating effect of TFL on such indirect effect in a rarely studied organizational setting of a developing country.

The relationship between effective personality and occupational health of lecturers: An empirical assessment in vietnam

There are gaps in research on the relationship between effective personality and occupational health of lecturers that need to be addressed. This study, therefore, explores the relationship between effective personality and occupational health of lecturers of provincial/city political schools in Vietnam. The survey is carried out in a convenient sampling method with 365 lecturers of provincial/city political schools in Vietnam. The questionnaires are provided to the participants of professional training courses at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics. The lecturers are willing to fill in the questionnaires at the same time. Descriptive, correlative, and linear regressive analyses are applied. The findings show that all elements of the effective personality structure have positive significant statistical impacts on enhancing self-efficacy, satisfaction, and cognitive affections while negatively causing exhaustion, musculoskeletal disorders, and voice disturbance of the lecturers' occupational health. Recommendations for promoting the effective personality of lecturers are provided. However, the study results are limited to the survey participants, who are lecturers of provincial political schools. Future research could expand the survey participants as well as elements of the effective personality structure and occupational health.

Work engagement status of registered nurses in pediatric units in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to evaluate the work engagement status of registered pediatric nurses and its relationship with personal- and work-related variables in selected hospitals. Personal- and work-related factors generally influence work engagement. However, data on work engagement in pediatric clinical practice are limited.

METHODS

This study employed a cross-sectional design, including 230 registered nurses working in pediatric units in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. A non-probability approach (convenience sampling) was adopted in recruiting the sample. Eight personal- and work-related variables were examined using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale shortened 9-item version.

RESULTS

The overall mean scale score was 4.54 (standard deviation = 0.95). The dedication subscale showed the highest mean score (4.84), followed by the absorption (4.48) and vigor subscales (4.29). A higher work engagement score was associated with an older age (H = 17.892; p < 0.001), a non-Saudi nationality (Z = 5.724; p < 0.001), a higher educational level (Z = 3.178; p = 0.001), and a long duration of experience (>10 years) (H = 18.435; p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed between the total scale score according to marital status (p = 0.077), current working unit (p = 0.063), and current working hours (p = 0.067).

CONCLUSIONS

Among registered pediatric nurses, work engagement is relatively high but is average in terms of the vigor component. To our knowledge, this research is the first to explore how work environment affects work engagement among pediatric nurses in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

A Phenomenological Understanding of Mental Health Nurses' Experiences of Self-Care: A Review of the Empirical Literature

Nurses are central to health care as the largest professional workforce and the providers of constant, ongoing care. Difficulties retaining enough qualified and motivated nurses presents an ongoing problem that threatens the quality of healthcare delivery. Demands of nursing practice, often resulting in stress and burnout, is a major barrier to retaining nurses. Self-care approaches and techniques have proven effective in reducing stress and burnout, increasing job satisfaction and the likelihood of nurses remaining in the profession. Despite knowing the benefits, nurses frequently do not engage in self-care resulting in negative consequences both personally and professionally. To advance our knowledge in this important area, a review of the literature was conducted to explore nurses' experience of self-care and how they made sense of their experiences. The literature was analysed critically and synthesised through a phenomenological lens. The identified themes were structured according to phenomenological concerns: selfhood, mood and embodiment, sociality and relatedness, temporality, spatiality, and nursing culture. Understanding self-care from a phenomenological perspective is important to forming a deeper comprehension of nurses' relationship with self-care, including acceptance and resistance. This new knowledge can be used to develop strategies to encourage self-care. The implications for recruitment and retention within nursing, and ultimately to the quality of healthcare, are significant.

Impact of the Gap Between Social Workers' Work Interaction Frequency With Governments and Clients on Their Burnout in China: Mediating Effects of Role Conflict and Moderating Effects of Non-front-line Work

Background

Since the 2000s, local governments have contracted out more and more social services to social work organizations in China. Social workers are thus experiencing the inconsistency between local governments' and clients' demands and the deviation from the professional duty of helping clients, which may result in conflicting and unclear roles in their jobs and further lead to burnout. Based on the Role Stress-burnout Model and the previous theoretical and field-work investigations, this study examined the effects of the government-client work interaction frequency gap on social workers' burnout as well as the mediating effects of role ambiguity and conflict and the moderating effects of the non-front-line work.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of 2,643 front-line social workers and 2,599 supervisors or managers from 56 major cities all over China was conducted. Work burnout was measured by the 22-item three-dimension Maslach's Burnout Inventory Scale. Rizzo et al.'s 14-item scale measured role conflict and ambiguity. The government-client working interaction frequency gap was measured by the difference between the five-point level of work interaction frequency with governments minus the one with clients. Structural equation modeling was adopted to test the mediation and moderation models.

Results

Results showed that for the front-line social workers, besides directly reducing personal accomplishment, the government-client work interaction frequency gap could indirectly neutralize its alleviating effects on emotional exhaustion (Mediating effect ratio = −63.64 %), make its total effects on depersonalization significant (37.03%), and reduce personal accomplishment further (23.08%) through increasing social workers' feeling of role conflict. However, the above mediating effects of role conflict were not significant for social workers with extra management or supervision workload, revealing the moderating effects of non-front-line work.

Conclusions

This study revealed that front-line social workers in China who had more work interaction with governments and less with clients could have higher role conflict, increasing their burnout further. Therefore, social work educational programs should include adequate mental adjustment courses and practical emplacement to prepare students for the potential role conflict. Furthermore, higher-level governments should issue relevant regulations to form a collaborative rather than an employment relationship between local governments and social worker organizations.

Chronic stress, behavioral tendencies, and determinants of health behaviors in nurses: a mixed-methods approach

BACKGROUND

Nurses experience high, and often chronic, levels of occupational stress. As high-quality care requires a healthy workforce, individualized stress-alleviating interventions for nurses are needed. This study explored barriers and resources associated with health behaviors in nurses with different stress levels and work-related behavioral tendencies and identified health behavior determinants based on the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) model.

METHODS

Applying a mixed methods transformative triangulation design, n = 43 nurses filled out chronic stress (SSCS) and work-related behavior and experience patterns (German acronym AVEM) questionnaires, and participated in semi-structured interviews. With content analysis, categories of health behavior-related barriers and resources emerged. Behavior determinants (self-efficacy, outcome expectancies), health behavior, and barriers and resources were quantified via frequency and magnitude coding and interrelated with SSCS and AVEM scores to link level of health behavior with potential influencing factors. Nonparametric tests explored differences in quantified variables for SSCS and AVEM scores and 4-step-hierarchical regression analysis identified predictors for health behavior.

RESULTS

Eighty-four percent of the nurses were chronically stressed while 49% exhibited unhealthy behavioral tendencies at the workplace. 16 personal and organizational themes (six resources, ten barriers) influenced health behaviors. Stress was associated with resource frequency (p = .027) and current health behaviors (p = .07). Self-efficacy significantly explained variance in health behaviors (p = .003).

CONCLUSION

Health promotion related barriers and resources should be considered in designing nurse health promotion campaigns. Practitioners need to individualize and tailor interventions toward stress and behavioral experiences for sustainable effects on adherence and health.

PERSonality, Ehical, and PROfessional quality of life in Pediatric/Adult Intensive Nurses study: PERSEPRO PAIN study

BACKGROUND

The World Health Organization included burnout syndrome criteria that reduce both professional quality of life and work satisfaction in its 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases in 2019 while nursing bodies have issued action calls to prevent burnout syndrome. Despite this, the effect of social factors, personality traits and cross-interaction on professional quality of life is still unclear.

AIM

To reveal the association between ethical climate, personal trait and professional quality of life.

METHOD

An online survey of registered nurses working in adult, pediatric or both ICUs. We used the ten-item personality measure based on The Big Five theory and Type-D personality Scale-14 then measured the ethical climate with the Hospital Ethical Climate Survey and the professional domains of burnout syndrome, secondary traumatic stress and compassion satisfaction by the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5 simultaneously. Multivariate analysis confirmed the triangular association of hospital ethical climate, personality traits and professional quality of life.

RESULT

We enrolled 310 participants from September 2019 to February 2020. Mean age was 33.1 years (± 5.9) and about 70% were female. In the multivariate analysis, neuroticism (p = 0.03, p = 0.01) and Type D personality (both of p<0.01) were associated with burnout syndrome and secondary traumatic stress while agreeableness (p<0.01) was associated with secondary traumatic stress. Conversely, extraversion (p = 0.01), agreeableness (p<0.01) and openness (p<0.01) were associated with compassion satisfaction. We also observed interactions between hospital ethical climate and conscientiousness (p = 0.01) for burnout syndrome and secondary traumatic stress. Neuroticism was related to (p<0.01) BOS and compassion satisfaction while Type D personality (p<0.01) correlated with burnout syndrome and secondary traumatic stress.

CONCLUSION

Hospital ethical climate strongly affects professional quality of life in nurses with specific personality traits. Therefore, it is important to maintain an ethical hospital climate, considering individual personalities to prevent burnout syndrome.

Personal Resources and Work Engagement: A Literature Review

The level of nurse work engagement affects retention, burnout, job satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and outcomes. However, there is a paucity of evidence identifying the specific personal resources that benefit nurse work engagement and mechanisms to develop personal resources. The purpose of this review was to examine which personal resources affect work engagement, reveal strategies to improve work engagement, and uncover implications for the nursing professional development practitioner. A total of 400 articles resulted from a review of the literature, with 14 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Personal resources varied. Interventions to promote the development of personal resources are described. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(3):115-121.].

Nurse Adaptability and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Effects of Family and Perceived Organizational Support

Objective

To examine the effect of family and perceived organizational support on the relationship between nurse adaptability and their experience with COVID-related PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) symptoms in frontline nurses working on COVID-19 units.

Background

Proximity to and survival of life-threatening events contribute to a diagnosis of PTSD, which is characterized by avoidance of reminders of trauma, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks of events, sleep disturbances, and hypervigilance. Using the job-demands and resource model, we examined the effect of adaptability, family support, and perceived organizational support on PTSD symptoms for nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we tested whether perceptions of environmental supports-i.e., family and organizational support-moderated the relationship between nurse adaptability and COVID-related PTSD symptoms.

Methods

A sample of frontline nurses working on COVID-19 units during the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas (N = 277) participated in this cross-sectional, observational study. Frontline Nurses reported demographic information and completed surveys designed to measure adaptability, perceived organizational support, family support, and COVID-related PTSD symptoms.

Results

Adaptability was significantly positively correlated (medium effects) to perceived organizational and family support (r = 0.51 and 0.56, respectively, p < 0.01). Adaptability and perceived organizational support were also negatively correlated with COVID-related PTSD symptoms (medium effects). Adaptability was negatively correlated with COVID-related PTSD symptoms, supporting Hypothesis 1 (r = -0.43, p < 0.01). Perceived organizational support was also significantly negatively correlated with COVID-19-related PTSD symptoms (r = -0.30, p < 0.01). Family support was not significantly correlated with COVID-related PTSD but was positively related to experiencing COVID-related PTSD after other variables were accounted for.

Conclusion

Findings suggest that individual adaptability and organizational support may reduce PTSD severity in frontline nurses working during a crisis; however, family support may increase PTSD symptoms. We provide suggestions for strengthening individual adaptability and healthcare leadership including remaining highly engaged to show support by providing rapid communication, remaining calm during difficult circumstances, and maintaining a consistent, physical presence during difficult times. Moreover, our results suggest additional support for nurses with families to adapt to crisis.

Are human resource managers with good listening competency more likely to avoid job burnout?

BACKGROUND

Listening is an important responsibilities of human resource managers, whether it will bring role stress to human resource managers, or lead to the risk of job burnout. This study aims to analyze the impact of listening competency on job burnout among human resource managers, and examine the mediating effect of role stress.

METHODS

This study adopted a cross-sectional method to randomly select 500 human resource managers from China's top ten human resource management cities to conduct an online questionnaire survey, and 232 valid samples were obtained. Descriptive statistical and one-way ANOVA were used to explore the status of job burnout among human resource managers in China. Correlation analysis, multiple linear regression and mediating effect analysis were employed to test the relationship between listening competency and job burnout, as well as the mediating effect of role stress.

RESULTS

(1) 34.5% of the respondents reported mild burnout, while 3.0% respondents showed serious burnout. Emotional exhaustion was the most serious. (2) Those are good at listening could easily avoid job burnout. Among them, listening skills were conducive to reducing the degree of depersonalization of human resource managers, and empathy was more conducive to improving their personal sense of accomplishment. (3) The role stress had a significant mediating role in the relationship between listening competency and job burnout. Which means that listening competency can avoid job burnout by reducing role stress of human resource managers.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed the current situation of job burnout among human resource managers in China, and explored the influence of listening competency on job burnout. This study enriched the research content of job burnout, and provided references for preventing and intervening job burnout of human resource managers.

Wellbeing in Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Self-Compassion in the Relationship between Personal Resources and Exhaustion

Italy was the second country to be affected by COVID-19 in early 2020, after China. The confrontation with the pandemic led to great changes in the world of work and, consequently, to the personal world of workers. In such a challenging situation, it is essential to be able to rely on resources that facilitate individual coping. The aim of this study was to understand the association between personal resources (optimism and humor) and exhaustion, and the role of self-compassion in this relationship. A structural equation model (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses on a heterogeneous sample of 422 Italian workers during the first lockdown in April–May 2020. The results revealed that optimism and humor were positively associated with self-compassion; optimism and humor also had a negative association with exhaustion; and self-compassion had a mediating role between the two personal resources and exhaustion. These results confirmed the importance of personal resources in maintaining workers’ wellbeing during a challenging period such as the pandemic. The present study also contributes to the body of knowledge on self-compassion, a relatively new construct that has been little studied in the organizational field.

Cognitive Appraisal of Job Autonomy by Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction

Job autonomy (JA), a task-level job resource has the potential to motivate individual behavior; it is indecisive, however, whether JA promotes or hinders extra-role behavior.

Objective

The study aims to examine the effect of JA on innovative work behavior (IWB) directly and indirectly through cognitive appraisal and work engagement (WE) while considering the organization type and age as control variables.

Methods

Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect the data from 326 nurses. SPSS and Amos 21 software was used to analyze the data. Data was collected between September, 2021 to January, 2022.

Results

According to the findings, JA can both stimulate and impede IWB indirectly through cognitive appraisal and WE depending on how it is appraised as a challenge and a threat (ρ = .089, p <.001); (ρ = -.038, p <.001), respectively.

Conclusion

The current study revealed that JA significantly influences the IWB of nurses directly and indirectly through cognitive appraisal and WE. Therefore, nursing management should find ways to influence nurse's appraisal of JA as a challenge rather than a threat to improve their extra-role behavior.

Adaptation to Change Questionnaire for Nurses: Validation and New Needs in the Context of COVID-19

Background: The worldwide pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has challenged healthcare systems and the professionals who work in them. This challenge involves strong changes to which nurses have had to quickly adapt. Emotional and cognitive–behavioral factors influence the capacity for adaptation to change. Based on this model, the objective of this study was to validate the Adaptation to Change Questionnaire (ADAPTA-10) for identifying professionals in a population of nurses who have problems adapting to adverse situations such as those caused by COVID-19. Methods: This study was performed with a sample of 351 nurses. (3) Results: The ADAPTA-10 questionnaire was found to have good psychometric properties, and to be an effective, useful tool for nurses in research and clinical practice. The two-dimensional structure proposed in the original model was confirmed. Scales are also provided by sex for evaluation of adaptation to change; the highest scores on the emotional component were among nurses who had not personally encountered the virus. Conclusions: This instrument will be able to detect of the needs for adaptation to the new reality associated with COVID-19, as well as other situations in which nurses are immersed that demand adaptation strategies.

A concept analysis of role ambiguity experienced by hospital nurses providing bedside nursing care

The concept of role ambiguity, despite its wide application in nursing research, lacks a clear definition and conceptualization, resulting in inconsistencies about how it is defined, operationalized, and applied in research. The purpose of this paper was to analyze and define the concept of role ambiguity among hospital nurses providing nursing care, using the concept analysis method developed by Walker and Avant. The three defining attributes of role ambiguity were lack of information (information deficiency), lack of clarity, and unpredictability. Antecedents included lack of clear role definitions, lack of education/training, communication problems, supervisory behaviors and support, organizational culture, practice environment conditions, experience, group cohesiveness, and preferred work setting. The consequences of role ambiguity included increased stress, lack of organizational commitment, job dissatisfaction, burnout, and increased intent to leave. This concept analysis provides a clear conceptual definition to better understand role ambiguity among hospital nurses along with implications for nurse leaders, educators, clinicians, and researchers to support nurses and guide future research. This paper further emphasizes the importance of nurse-manager relationships in reducing the experience of role ambiguity among hospital nurses.

Towards Better Understanding of the Harmful Impact of Hindrance and Challenge Stressors on Job Burnout of Nurses. A One-Year Cross-Lagged Study on Mediation Role of Work-Family Conflict

The mediation role of work–family conflict (WFC) in job demands – job burnout link is well documented, also in group of nurses. It is still unclear, however, which job demands are particularly conducive to WFC and job burnout. Moreover the mediational effect of WFC was tested mainly in cross-sectional studies that were conducted in countries of North America and Western Europe. Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources and the Effort-Recovery models, this one-year cross-lagged study investigates the effects of five types of job demands related to challenge and hindrance stressors on job burnout (measured with exhaustion and disengagement from work) as well as the mediational role of WFC in Polish nurses. Job demands included emotional, cognitive demands, and demands for hiding emotions (as challenge stressors) as well as quantitative demands and work pace (as hindrance stressors). Data were collected among 516 nurses. Structural equation modelling (SEM) showed that hindrance stressors (T1) are predictor of higher job burnout (T2). The positive role of challenge stressors (T1) were not supported. Only emotional demands were associated with exhaustion but the direction of the relation was opposite than expected. WFC (T1) mediated the harmful effect of the two hindrance stressors and emotional demands on disengagement from work (but not on exhaustion). Cognitive demands and demands for hiding emotions were not related to negative outcomes. The obtained results shed light on the role of the challenge-hindrance stressors and WFI in development of job burnout. The implications for theory and research on the mental health of nurses are discussed.

Severity and prevalence of burnout syndrome in paediatric intensive care nurses: A systematic review

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study is to identify burnout syndrome severity and prevalence in paediatric intensive care unit nurses.

DESIGN

Systematic review.

SETTING

Paediatric intensive care unit.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

A librarian was consulted on methodology before the search process. MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched for full-text studies published before September 2019 in any language. Only those observational studies exploring burnout syndrome, including paediatric intensive care unit nurses, were included. Two authors independently screened studies. We assessed the risk of bias within each study based on the Office of Health Assessment and Translation tool.

RESULT

After screening 1238 articles, we identified six studies which met the systematic review criteria. All studies included were published after 2012 and participant sample sizes were between 35 and 195 nurses. Three studies were conducted in the United States of America while the others were from the United Kingdom, Turkey and Taiwan. Prevalence of burnout syndrome in pediatric intensive care unit nurses was reported in these studies as between 42% and 77%. The assessment tools used in these studies were the (abbreviated) Maslach Burnout Inventory, Abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory, Occupational Burnout Inventory, and Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5. We could not conduct a meta-analysis due to the lack of studies.

CONCLUSION

Our systematic review identifies that a low number (6 total) of relevant studies focused on burnout syndrome for pediatric intensive care unit nurses with a prevalence of burnout syndrome in paediatric intensive care unit nurses of between 42% and 77%.

Healthcare worker's emotions, perceived stressors and coping mechanisms during the COVID-19 pandemic

Increasing cases, insufficient amount of personal protection equipment, extremely demanding workloads, and lack of adequate therapies to save lives can contribute to a psychological burden directly related to working during disease outbreaks. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at a high risk of contracting COVID-19 due to its ability to spread efficiently through asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals. There are limited studies assessing the pandemic's psychological impact on HCWs, specifically those in close proximity to hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Our study explored the emotions, perceived stressors, and coping strategies of front-line HCWs at high risk of exposure to COVID-19 during the first surge at our community-based teaching hospital, the epicenter of COVID-19 in Connecticut. A validated comprehensive questionnaire derived and modified from previous epidemics was used to inquire about staff feelings, factors that caused stress and factors that mitigated stress. Personal coping strategies and factors that can increase staff's motivation to work during future events of similar nature were also asked. Emotional reactions, coping mechanisms, and stressors varied by healthcare role, while some experiences and reactions were similar among groups. Willingness to participate in a second wave of the pandemic or future outbreaks is strongly driven by adequate personal protective equipment, financial recognition, and recognition from management, similarly reported in previous disease outbreaks. All groups felt a reduction in stress due to a sense of camaraderie and teamwork, as well as when sharing jokes or humor with colleagues. Our HCWs at high risk of exposure experienced significant emotional distress during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. By understanding the needs and experiences of our HCWs at highest risk, we can improve our psychological support using targeted interventions during future waves of this pandemic or similar devastating events.

Predictors of Burnout in Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this study was to identify the predictors of burnout in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from March to June in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, from employees of two Romanian hospitals. Five hundred and twenty-three healthcare workers completed a series of questionnaires that measured burnout, job demands, job resources, and personal resources. Among the respondents, 14.5% had a clinical level of exhaustion (the central component of burnout). Three job demands (work-family conflict, lack of preparedness/scope of practice, emotional demands), three job resources (training, professional development, and continuing education; supervision, recognition, and feedback; autonomy and control), and one personal resource (self-efficacy) were significant predictors of burnout, explaining together 37% of the variance in healthcare workers' burnout. Based on our results, psychological interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic for healthcare employees should focus primarily on these demands and resources.

Risk factors of role stress and professional burnout among nurse anesthetists: A multicenter cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

In China, there is no unified standard for the responsibilities and authority of nurse anesthetists, resulting in different professional expectations from anesthesiologists and nursing managers, which may result in high levels of role stress and burnout in nurse anesthetists. Additional factors such as high occupational risk and heavy work may also contribute to role stress and burnout.

METHODS

In this multicenter cross-sectional study, an online questionnaire survey was conducted among 198 nurses from six tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province. The t test, analysis of variance, linear regression, and logistic regression were used to analyze the risk factors for role stress and professional burnout.

RESULTS

The scores of role conflict and role ambiguity in role stress were 30.61 ± 9.53 and 31.89 ± 9.56, respectively; satisfaction with income and the working environment, the hospital's attention, years of experience as a nurse, clarity concerning the nurse anesthetist's occupational scope, and attitude to career prospects were independent risk factors for role stress. The burnout data were non-normally distributed and were expressed as medians and quartiles. The scores of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal achievement in professional burnout were 30 (26-34), 11 (8-14), and 23 (20-26) respectively. The number of working hours per week, attitude to career prospects, satisfaction with the working environment and income, physical health, gender, and education were independent risk factors for burnout.

CONCLUSIONS

Chinese nurse anesthetists were found to be in danger of high role stress and professional burnout, a situation requiring the attention of managers.

Work Engagement in Nurses during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

In some areas of Spain, health services and professionals working in the front line against the Sars-Cov-2 virus have been widely overwhelmed at all levels. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the level of work engagement of Spanish nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was carried out. The sample consisted of 510 active nurses from all over Spain, without age exclusion, who voluntarily accepted to participate in the study. Work engagement was assessed with the 9-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) questionnaire, through an online questionnaire and non-probabilistic snowball sampling. The results showed a mean age of 45.9 years (SD = 10.7 years), most of them women (78.1%), and 58.5% were in primary care. The mean score for the UWES-9 questionnaire was 4.6 points (SD = 1.35). The categorical regression analysis performed revealed an R2 value of 0.75 and a significance of p < 0.01 in the sex, type of unit, and training variables. The Spanish nurses in the sample present high levels of work engagement in all dimensions in general, although the lowest mean scores are found in the vigor dimension, among men, and nurses working in hospital and critical units.

The effect of job stress management training on observance of professional ethics by nurses

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of job stress management training on observance of professional ethics by nurses. This quasi-experimental study was performed on 50 clinical nurses in Shiraz, Iran. Data collection tools included a questionnaire. The research intervention consisted of six two-hour sessions of stress management training. SPSS 21 were used to analyze the data. Data analysis showed that before intervention, the level of professional ethics of 64% of nurses was relatively good, but after intervention, the level of professional ethics of the majority of nurses (94%) was at the desired level. The results showed that the levels of professional ethics after job stress management training has increased significantly compared to before. The results showed that stress management training has led to improving the level of professional ethics of nurses.

Measuring work engagement in a multigenerational nursing workforce

AIM

To examine the level of work engagement among Veteran-aged, Baby Boomer, Generation X, (Gen X) and Millennial registered nurses.

BACKGROUND

Workforce engagement plays a critical role in health care organisations. Organisations with a highly engaged nursing workforce outperform those organisations that have disengaged or non-engaged employees.

METHOD

Quantitative non-experimental causal comparative study measured multigenerational nurses' level of work engagement.

RESULTS

Veteran-aged nurses were the most engaged, followed by Baby Boomer, Gen X and Millennial. The sample scored highest on dedication and lowest on vigour. Veterans and Baby Boomer nurses were statistically different than Gen X and Millennial nurses in their level of engagement. There were no statistical differences between Veteran and Baby Boomers and between Gen X and Millennials in their level of engagement.

CONCLUSIONS

Gen X and Millennial RNs scored lowest on level of engagement and are statistically similar in their level of disengagement.

IMPLICATION FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Nurse managers must prioritize engagement strategies as a core function of their leadership role. It is essential that leaders cultivate an employee engagement culture across a multigenerational workforce. Nurse leaders should take full advantage of the experience of the retiring generations to mentor and transfer critical knowledge to the Gen X and Millennial nurses.

The effect of job demands on health and work outcomes: A longitudinal study among Malaysian employees

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the impact of job demands on health and work outcomes among Malaysian workers. We hypothesized that job demands (i.e., emotional demands and physical demands) would predict future work-related burnout and work engagement, in turn affecting sleep problems and job performance (in-role, extra-role). A longitudinal two-wave survey was conducted among Malaysian workers and valid data from 345 participants were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results revealed that work-related burnout predicts sleep problems while work engagement increased employees' job performance over time. Overall, the current study highlights the importance of specific job demands (i.e., emotional demands and physical demands) that specifically affect health-related behavior and work-related behavior among workers.

Health and intention to leave the profession of nursing - which individual, social and organisational resources buffer the impact of quantitative demands? A cross-sectional study

Background

The aim of this study was to analyse the buffering effect of individual, social and organisational resources on health and intention to leave the profession in the context of burden due to quantitative job demands.

Methods

In 2017, a cross-sectional survey was carried out anonymously among nurses in palliative care in Germany. One thousand three hundred sixteen nurses responded to the questionnaire (response rate 38.7%), which contained, amongst others, questions from the German version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). Moderator analyses were conducted to investigate the buffering effect of different resources on health (‘self-rated health’ and ‘burnout’) and ‘intention to leave’ in the context of quantitative demands.

Results

‘Self-rated health’ was significantly buffered by the resources ‘recognition through salary’ (p = 0.001) and ‘good working team’ (p = 0.004). Additionally, buffering effects of the resources ‘workplace commitment’ and ‘good working team’ on ‘burnout’ (p = 0.001 and p = 0.006, respectively) as well as of the resources ‘degree of freedom’, ‘meeting relatives after death of patients’, ‘recognition from supervisor’ and ‘possibilities for development’ on ‘intention to leave’ (p = 0.014, p = 0.012, p = 0.007 and p = 0.036, respectively) were observed.

Conclusions

The results of our study can be used to develop and implement job (re) design interventions with the goal of reducing the risk of burnout and enhancing job satisfaction among nurses in palliative care. This includes for example adequate payment, communication training and team activities or team events to strengthen the team as well as the implementation of some rituals (such as meeting relatives after the death of patients). As our study was exploratory, the results should be confirmed in further studies.

Exploring the link between structural empowerment and job satisfaction through the mediating effect of role stress: A cross-sectional questionnaire study

BACKGROUND

Role stress (ambiguity and conflict) is a major psychosocial risk at work negatively associated with job satisfaction in the nursing context. According to Kanter's empowerment theory, high levels of structural empowerment reduce role stress, so role ambiguity and conflict could be potential mediators of the relationship between empowerment and job satisfaction.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between structural empowerment, role stress (ambiguity and conflict), and job satisfaction, assuming the mediating role of role stress on the relationship between structural empowerment and job satisfaction.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional design was utilized, using questionnaires for data collection and convenience sampling.

SETTING(S)

Private health care organizations in southern Portugal.

PARTICIPANTS

One hundred and twenty-four registered nurses (sample 1) and one hundred and thirty certified nursing assistants (sample 2) completed self-report measures of structural empowerment, role stress, and job satisfaction.

METHODS

Mediation analysis was performed using linear regression models and the bootstrapping method. Bias-Corrected confidence intervals (95%) were calculated for the study of direct and indirect effects.

RESULTS

In both samples, structural empowerment, role ambiguity, and role conflict were significant predictors of job satisfaction. Both ambiguity and role conflict partially mediated the effect of structural empowerment on job satisfaction. The effect mediated by ambiguity was greater than the effect mediated by role conflict in both registered nurses and certified nursing assistants.

CONCLUSIONS

Two processes could explain the effect of structural empowerment on job satisfaction in the nursing context: a direct effect generating experiences and perceptions of power in professionals; and an indirect effect reducing role stress levels in the workplace. The creation of empowering workplaces which clarify work roles and functions of nursing staff should be a priority issue for health managers and nurse executives.

Social support, role clarity and job satisfaction: a successful combination for nurses

AIM

To analyse the moderating effect of role clarity on the relationship between social support (supervisor and colleagues) and job satisfaction.

BACKGROUND

The social support of supervisors and co-workers and the clarity of roles are important antecedents of job satisfaction. According to the Conservation of Resources theory, the interaction of the instrumental nature of role clarity and social support would result in higher levels of job satisfaction in nursing.

METHODS

Through a convenience sample, a final sample of 191 participants (64.92% registered nurses, 35.08% nursing assistants) was obtained from a private hospital complex in Portugal. Hierarchical linear regression models were carried out to check the moderating function of role clarity.

RESULTS

Regression models showed the moderating effect of role clarity. Nursing staff with high social support from their supervisors and peers showed higher scores in job satisfaction when role clarity was high.

CONCLUSION

An adequate description of roles, through clear and detailed information regarding expected functions, responsibilities and behaviour, allows the effect of social support from supervisors and co-workers on job satisfaction to be stronger.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Strategies such as defining responsibilities, setting clear expectations and role analysis allow a reduction in sources of uncertainty in jobs. Training in communication and feedback skills would improve the social support given by supervisors and colleagues.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY

Hospital boards and nurse managers should be aware of the importance of clarifying roles, responsibilities, and functions of each professional category and hierarchical level for the provision of adequate quality of care.

Optimistic thinking, satisfaction with life and job and nursing care rationing: Multicentre study in Poland

AIMS

The aim was to examine whether the level of optimism and job and life satisfaction is a differentiating factor from the level of implicit rationing of nursing care in a sample of Polish registered nurses.

BACKGROUND

Satisfaction with life and job is reflected by greater effectiveness of nurses at work and creates a positive work environment, which in turn may modulate the level of implicit rationing of nursing care.

METHODS

A cross-sectional multicentre research design was adopted, employing a representative sample of 1,010 registered Polish nurses identified between the beginning of January and the end of June 2019. Four self-report scales were used in this study: Basel Extent of Rationing of Nursing Care, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Satisfaction with Job Scale and Life Orientation Test-Revised. The results were analysed using the k-means method, Student's t test and two-way ANOVA.

RESULTS

Optimistic thinking, and satisfaction with job and life exerted a significant effect on the level of implicit rationing of nursing care among Polish nurses. Nurses from the group 'pessimistic' were at higher risk of nursing care rationing than those from the group 'optimistic'.

CONCLUSION

Strengthening of the personal competencies, providing support and responding to all identified needs might increase job satisfaction of nurses and hence reduce the risk of nursing care rationing.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Leadership modelling and training in positive thinking might be the methods to support nurses and to prevent nursing care rationing.

Implementing a Nursing Professional Model to Improve Staff Nurse Engagement and Teamwork

BACKGROUND

Evidence suggests a direct correlation between high levels of staff engagement and teamwork improves quality outcomes for the organization.

METHOD

This evidence-based change of practice project applied the elements of a professional practice model in a medical-surgical telemetry unit to measure the effect on nurse engagement and teamwork.

RESULTS

Implementation of a professional practice model resulted in improved engagement on the unit, an improved culture of teamwork, a decrease in the number of patient falls, and an increase in staff satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

The implementation and enculturation of a professional practice model demonstrate the intent to capture the hearts and minds of nurses and create an environment in which nurses are engaged and a culture of teamwork exists. An engaged workforce helps encapsulate a safe, efficient, and effective environment not only for nurses but also for their patients. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2020;51(3):124-131.].

Predicting Nurses Burnout through Quality of Work Life and Psychological Empowerment: A Study Towards Sustainable Healthcare Services in Malaysia

The nursing profession is a much-demanded profession that requires the individual capacity to work under intense physical and emotional dynamics in the workplace. Work related factors cause burnout and need attention from scholars and professionals to reduce the effects of the burnout among nursing staff. This study aimed to examine the meditational role of psychological empowerment and work-life quality on the burnout experiences of nursing staff in Malaysia. This study investigated a sample of 432 nursing staff from 10 registered hospitals in the Selangor area that have been listed on the Malaysian Health Tourism Council (MHTC) website. The responses collected via a self-reported questionnaire, and the data was analyzed using partial least square regression structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings statistically support the argument that the provision of quality of work-life (adequate and fair compensation, constitution in the work organization, safe and healthy working conditions, social integration in the work organization, social relevance of work-life, and work and life span) could promote psychological empowerment among nurses. Psychological empowerment statistically resulted in reducing the burnout effects by mediating the effect of work-life quality (QWL) on burnout. This study contributes to the literature that QWL factors need to be studied separately, and its affects on psychological empowerment, and how psychological empowerment permits curtails the effects of the burnout among nursing staff providing the services to health tourists. This study also provided important implications for the management staff of the nursing industry to initiate the management of burnout with the provision of psychological employment. The present study contributed to the current literature of burnout management through the psychological empowerment provided by the factors of the quality of work life.

Effect of Psychological Empowerment on Nurses Burnout

Objective:

The health industry needs motivated and satisfied nursing staff to provide quality health services to medical tourists, as well as in other sectors. This study aimed to examine the effects of psychological empowerment on the dimensions of burnout among the Malaysian nursing staff, as well as exploring the role of age, gender, experience, and marital status on the perception of burnout dimensions.

Methods:

This survey used a sample of 432 nursing staff, using measures of the perception of empowerment and comparing variables with another measure of burnout, collected via a self-reported questionnaire. Data were analyzed using PLS-SEM. Moreover, the group analysis in PLS-SEM estimated the differences among the nursing staff’s perception of psychological empowerment on burnout factors.

Results:

The findings reveal that psychological empowerment reduces the impact of burnout symptoms. Moreover, gender and age are different for depersonalization by the perception of psychological empowerment among the nursing staff in Malaysia. The Malaysian nursing staff’s marital status influences the relationships between psychological empowerment and depersonalization, as well as emotional exhaustion and personal unfulfillment. Moreover, the experience of the nursing staff influences the perception of personal unfulfillment in a significant manner.

Conclusion:

This study offered important managerial implications, such as considering the nursing staff’s needs according to age, gender, material status, and working experience to address burnout issues of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal unfulfillment. Moreover, it is important to note that the different factors of burnout are perceived differently by the nursing staff based on their attributes. There is a need to utilize the provision of psychological empowerment needs.

Relationship between sense of coherence, health and work engagement among nurses

AIM

To examine the sense of coherence among registered nurses and its relationship with health and work engagement.

BACKGROUND

Sense of coherence is a global orientation to view life as structured, manageable and meaningful and have the capacity to cope with stressful situations. A high sense of coherence score indicates that an individual can understand, manage and attribute meaning to events in his or her life as well as in the work environment. Registered nurses face many workplace stressors that may be easier to manage with a strong sense of coherence; however, the effect of this score on their self-reported health status and work engagement remains unknown.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional study, 109 registered nurses working in a long-term care setting responded to a self-administered questionnaire. Social support, work-related family conflicts, sense of coherence, self-reported health status and work engagement variables were analysed using multiple linear regression models.

RESULTS

Nurses with a high sense of coherence score reported no work-related family conflicts (mean difference -6.91; 95% CI -10.65 to -3.18; p = .000), better health (r = .408) and greater work engagement (r = .223), compared to their peers with lower sense of coherence. The association between sense of coherence and self-reported health was confirmed by linear regression modelling (β = .276, p = .003).

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses with a higher sense of coherence had better health and greater work engagement. The work engagement variable showing the highest association with sense of coherence was dedication.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Implementing interventions that increase sense of coherence among nurses can increase commitment to their work, to the institution and to building more engaged teams.

Where Do You Think You Are? A Grounded Theory Study of the Critical Factors Triggering the Existence and Fueling the Persistence of Incivility in Nursing

BACKGROUND

Incivility in health care settings was first identified in 1976. The Institute of Medicine has called for a safer health care environment, and the Joint Commission emphasizes that disruptive behavior compromises patient safety. Incivility in nursing is a topic of interest, yet it had not been explored as a social process.

AIM

The purpose of this study was to acquire an understanding and develop a theory to address incivility in nursing.

METHOD

Twenty-nine RNs were interviewed based on Charmaz's constructionist grounded theory.

RESULTS

Four categories emerged (neglecting, alienating, relinquishing, and finding oneself) that developed into the theory of self-positioning.

CONCLUSION

To understand incivility in nursing, one must, immersed within the institution, profession, and society, find and position the self. It is only then that we can address the health and well-being of RNs, provide quality care, and ensure patient safety.

Gain cycles in healthcare workers: the role of job resources and hardy personality

Purpose

The association between resources and work engagement has been well-established among different occupational groups. The purpose of this paper is to go one step further through the investigation of the relationship between personal (i.e. hardy personality) and job-related (i.e. opportunity for learning and development) resources and work engagement in the long run.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted on a sample of healthcare professionals working in a spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation hospital located in northern Italy.

Findings

The results of cross-lagged structural equation modeling indicated the occurrence of reciprocal causal relationships between the study variables. In particular, personal and job-related resources were related to an increase in work engagement over the course of the study. The level of engagement displayed by participants, in turn, was positively related to their personal and job-related resources over time, thus revealing the occurrence of positive cycles in the workplace.

Originality/value

On the whole, these findings provide a deeper understanding of the role played by hardy personality as a personal resource able to promote employees’ motivation and, at the same time, they advance the scientific knowledge concerning the construct of positive cycle.

Engagement, Passion and Meaning of Work as Modulating Variables in Nursing: A Theoretical Analysis

Nurses are continuously exposed to stressors and psychological and physical risks that can negatively influence their daily work. These adverse psychosocial circumstances, accompanied by the poor self-perception of health, well-being, and quality of life, may trigger burnout. The positive psychology approach pursues a growth of passion at work, increased job satisfaction, and occupational health, both mental and physical, for the optimal performance of the nursing role. In this way, a theoretical analysis was conducted to describe the basic constructs of positive psychology, elements such as engagement, passion at work, centrality, and meaning of work, which could act as protective factors in the nursing profession. The results show that if health professionals are not physically involved, cognitively alert, and emotionally connected, they may not offer the quality care patients require. Positive psychology helps nurses in facing their complex reality and relevant daily activities in order to provide quality care. These efforts towards a humanist nursing care in which professionals are able to care for the others as well as themselves should be made.

Perceived Overqualification and Psychological Well-Being Among Immigrants

Abstract. Migration is often driven by immigrants’ hope of improving their job situation. However, in the host country, they are at risk of holding jobs below their qualifications. This study examines the relationship between perceived overqualification and psychological well-being (depressive symptoms and life satisfaction) among 176 Italian immigrants in Germany along with the buffering role of optimism and meaning-making. The results show that perceived overqualification is associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of life satisfaction. Optimism moderates the relationship between perceived overqualification and life satisfaction: the relationship is attenuated with increasing optimism. We conclude that interventions that enhance optimism could help immigrants cope with perceived overqualification.