Coping styles relate to health and work environment of Norwegian and Dutch hospital nurses: A comparative study

Cascade effects of a parenting-focused program for divorced families on three health-related outcomes in emerging adulthood

Using data from a 15-year longitudinal follow-up of a randomized controlled trial of a parenting-focused preventive intervention for divorced families (N = 240) with children aged 9-12, the current study examined alternative cascading pathways through which the intervention led to improvements in offspring's perceived health problems, BMI, and cigarette smoking in emerging adulthood. It was hypothesized that the program would lead to improvements in these health-related outcomes during emerging adulthood through progressive associations between program-induced changes in parenting and offspring outcomes, including mental health problems, substance use, and competencies. Intervention-induced improvements in positive parenting at posttest led to improvements in mental health problems in late childhood/early adolescence, which led to lower levels of mental health and substance use problems as well as higher levels of competencies in adolescence, which led to improvements in the health-related outcomes. Academic performance predicted all three health-related outcomes and other aspects of adolescent functioning showed different relations across outcomes. Results highlight the potential for intervention effects of preventive parenting interventions in childhood to cascade over time to affect health-related outcomes in emerging adulthood.

Proactive behaviors and health care workers: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Proactive behaviors at work refer to discretionary actions among workers that are self-starting, change oriented, and future focused. Proactive behaviors reflect the idiosyncratic actions by individual workers that shape the delivery and experience of professional services, highlight a bottom-up perspective on workers' agency and motivation that can influence organizational practices, and are associated with a variety of employee and organizational outcomes.

PURPOSE

This systematic review aims to understand the various forms of proactive behaviors in health care workers that have been studied, and how these proactive behaviors are associated with employee-level outcomes and quality of care.

METHODS

Systematic review of articles published to date on proactive behaviors in health care workers.

RESULTS

Based on the identification of 40 articles, we find that job crafting, active problem solving, voice, extra-role behaviors, and idiosyncratic deals have been investigated as proactive behaviors among health care workers. Among these, job crafting is the most commonly studied (35% of articles), and it has been conceptualized and measured in the most consistent way, including as individual- and group-level phenomena, and as organizational interventions. Studies on active problem solving, which refers to workers accepting responsibility, exercising control, and taking action around anticipated or experienced problems at work, have not been consistently investigated as a form of proactive behavior but represent 25% of the articles identified in this review. Overall, this review finds that proactive behaviors in health care is a burgeoning area of research, with the majority of studies being cross-sectional in design and published after 2010, and focused on workers' job satisfaction as the outcome.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Health care workers and managers should consider the distinct influences and contributions of proactive behaviors as ways to improve employee-level outcomes and quality of care.

Compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among Chinese palliative care nurses: A province-wide cross-sectional survey

AIMS

We aim to explore the prevalence and potential facilitators and inhibitors of compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among Chinese palliative care nurses.

BACKGROUND

Nurses with compassion fatigue may suffer from health-related problems, causing decreased work efficiency and quality of care. Palliative care nurses are especially at risk of compassion fatigue due to close contact with terminal patients.

METHODS

A province-wide cross-sectional survey using convenience sampling was conducted among 318 palliative care nurses at 25 hospitals and healthcare institutions in Sichuan Province, China. Data were collected using demographic questionnaire and five scales: Professional Quality of Life Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Perceived Social Support Scale, Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, and Connor-Davison Resilience Scale. Data analyses including descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, simple linear regression, and multiple linear regression.

RESULTS

Mean scores (SD) for burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction were 25.42 (4.75), 26.08 (5.72), and 35.67 (5.77), respectively. Related factors predicted 40.30%, 27.10%, and 35.4% of the variance in the model of burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction, respectively (all p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress among Chinese palliative care nurses were higher than those among other types of nurses. Social support, resilience, positive coping, family recognition of work, and income satisfaction are inhibitors of compassion fatigue among palliative care nurses.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Nursing administrators and educators should consider providing effective and targeted strategies (e.g. ongoing training and psychological interventions) to decrease compassion fatigue among palliative care nurses based on the cultural and ethical settings.

Profiling resilience: A latent profile analysis of German nurses' coping and resilience

Introduction

Because of the shortage of nurses, it becomes crucial for organizations and health systems to keep nurses in their workforce. As individual resilience is positively associated with organizational commitment and negatively with mental disorders, it may reduce nurses' intention to leave the profession. Thus, individual resilience gained attention in research. Nevertheless, there is no common conceptualization of individual resilience in the literature. Rather, three prevalent understandings exist. Due to these multiple understandings, the role of coping in the context of resilience remains unclear. Against this background, the aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between nurses' resilience and coping based on a person-centered approach.

Methods

This study presents a latent profile analysis based on a survey of 210 German nurses. The profiles were generated based on the Brief Resilience Scale and Brief COPE. The Perceived Workload of Nurses' Scale and sociodemographic data were considered as explanatory factors using nominal logistic regression. Further, the relation with possible consequences was tested by χ²-test using the Irritation Scale and KUT Commitment Measure.

Results

The study identifies four different profiles of coping and resilience. The profiles "resistant" and "social-active" show rather low irritations and high organizational commitment. The "passive" profile has lower irritation scores than the "solitary" profile does, but the "passive" profile is associated with more irritation than the "resistant" or the "social-active" profile. Whereas the other profiles include characteristics of resilience, the "solitary" profile has a vulnerable nature. The analysis shows that more coordination and information problems, higher age, and not being in a leadership role are associated with a higher probability of belonging to the "solitary" profile. The chance of belonging to the "solitary" profile is significantly higher for women than for men, whereas women have a significantly lower chance of belonging to the "resistant" profile, compared to men.

Conclusion

The analysis shows that the three prevalent understandings of resilience are appropriate but it also indicates that future scientific debate requires more precision in defining individual resilience. The study contributes to sharpening the definition of resilience as well as to understanding the link between coping and resilience.

Role of Personality and Positive and Negative Affects in Coping Strategies of Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

Nurses are exposed to many highly stressful events. Individual variables, such as personality and affective state, have been related to vulnerability to maladaptive coping. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to analyze the relationships between the personality, positive and negative affects, and coping strategies of nurses and to establish the mediating role of affective state in the relationship between personality and coping. The sample was made up of 1,268 Spanish nurses aged 22-63 years who completed the Coping Strategies Inventory, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the 10-item Big Five Inventory. Descriptive analyses, correlations, and mediation models were estimated. The results showed relationships between the Big Five personality factors, positive and negative affects, and coping strategies. Negative affect was confirmed as a mediator between personality and less adaptive strategies and positive affect was confirmed on positive strategies. This study emphasizes the need to develop actions directed at teaching nurses adequate problem-solving strategies and training them in the ability to assign a different emotional value to complex situations.

Predictive factors of anxiety and depression among nurses fighting coronavirus disease 2019 in China

Anxiety and depression are common mental illnesses among nurses fighting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the precise factors that affect anxiety and depression in this population require further evaluation. This study aimed to explore factors associated with anxiety and depression among nurses fighting COVID-19 in China. We used convenience sampling to recruit 282 nurses fighting COVID-19 in three hospitals. Participants were questioned about demographic characteristics, daily working time, daily sleep duration, sleep quality, anxiety, depression, resilience, and coping styles. Linear regression analysis indicated that resilience (β = -0.217, P < 0.001), positive coping style (β = -0.281, P < 0.001), negative coping style (β = 0.395, P < 0.001), and sleep quality (β = 0.153, P = 0.010) were predictive factors for anxiety, and the model explained 44.20% (P < 0.001) of variability. Resilience (β = -0.239, P < 0.001), positive coping style (β = -0.222, P < 0.001), negative coping style (β = 0.152, P < 0.001), and sleep quality (β = 0.104, P = 0.003) were identified as explanatory factors for depression, and the model explained 34.50% (P < 0.001) of variability. The present study suggested that resilience, coping styles, and sleep quality could account for an individual's levels of anxiety and depression.

The Role of Coping in the Wellbeing and Work-Related Quality of Life of UK Health and Social Care Workers during COVID-19

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic in early 2020. Due to the rapid spread of the virus and limited availability of effective treatments, health and social care systems worldwide quickly became overwhelmed. Such stressful circumstances are likely to have negative impacts on health and social care workers' wellbeing. The current study examined the relationship between coping strategies and wellbeing and quality of working life in nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, social care workers and social workers who worked in health and social care in the UK during its first wave of COVID-19. Data were collected using an anonymous online survey (N = 3425), and regression analyses were used to examine the associations of coping strategies and demographic characteristics with staff wellbeing and quality of working life. The results showed that positive coping strategies, particularly active coping and help-seeking, were associated with higher wellbeing and better quality of working life. Negative coping strategies, such as avoidance, were risk factors for low wellbeing and worse quality of working life. The results point to the importance of organizational and management support during stressful times, which could include psycho-education and training about active coping and might take the form of workshops designed to equip staff with better coping skills.

"Noise Factory": A qualitative study exploring healthcare providers' perceptions of noise in the intensive care unit

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to explore healthcare providers' perceptions of noise in the intensive care unit.

DESIGN

A qualitative exploratory study was conducted using group interviews.

SETTING

The setting comprised a total of 15 participants (five physicians and ten registered nurses) working in an 18-bed medical surgical intensive care unit at a teaching hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. Semi-structured questions were formulated and used in focus group interviews, after which the recorded interviews were transcribed by the researchers. Thematic analysis was used to identify significant statements and initial codes.

FINDINGS

Four themes were identified: the meaning of noise, sources of noise, effects of noise and prevention and management of noise. It was found that noise was an inevitable feature of the intensive care unit. The most common sources of noise were human-induced. It was also determined that device-induced noise, such as alarms, did not produce a lot of noise; however, when staff were late in responding, the sound transformed into noise. Furthermore, it was observed that efforts to decrease noise levels taken by staff had only a momentary effect, changing nothing in the long term because the entire team failed to implement any initiatives consistently. The majority of nurses stated that they were now becoming insensitive to the noise due to the constant exposure to device-induced noise.

CONCLUSION

The data obtained from this study showed that especially human-induced noise threatened healthcare providers' cognitive task functions, concentration and job performance, impaired communication and negatively affected patient safety. In addition, it was determined that any precautions taken to reduce noise were not fully effective. A team approach should be used in managing noise in intensive care units with better awareness.

When and how do hospital nurses cope with daily stressors? A multilevel study

BACKGROUND

During their workday, nurses face a variety of stressors that are dealt with using different coping strategies. One criticism of the contextual models of work stress is that they fail to focus on individual responses like coping with stress. Neverthless, little is know about the momentary determinants of coping in nurses.

OBJECTIVES

To identify the momentary predictors of problem-focused approaching coping and emotion-focused approaching coping, as well as those for seeking social support and refusal coping strategies, during the working day in nurses.

DESIGN

This study uses descriptive, correlational, two-level design with repeated measures.

SETTINGS

Wards of two University hospitals.

PARTICIPANTS

A random cohort of 113 nurses was studied.

METHODS

An ecological momentary assessment was made of demand, control, effort, reward, nursing task, coping, mood and fatigue, and of coping style by questionnaire. Multilevel two-level statistical analyses were performed in order to identify both within person and between person relationships.

RESULTS

Different momentary types of coping were associated with different tasks. The problem-focused coping could be explained by the direct care and medication tasks, demand, planning coping style, mood, and negatively by acceptation coping style. Emotion-focused coping could be explained by documentation and medication tasks (negatively), mood, demand, distraction, and disengagement coping styles. Seeking social support coping could be explained by the task of communication, mood, fatigue (negatively), and seeking emotional support as a coping style. Refusal coping could be explained by mood, and the coping style of focusing and venting emotions. Refusal coping is not specific to any task.

CONCLUSIONS

The choice of the coping strategy depends on the task, of their appraisal and on the different styles of coping.

Neurophysiological correlates of religious coping to stress: a preliminary EEG power spectra investigation

Religious coping to psychological stress has been linked to positive outcomes on both physical and mental health, but no studies have explored its neurophysiological correlates. Ninety-six participants (43 men and 53 women, mean age: 22.30 ± 2.48 years) were enrolled in the present study; they underwent an evaluation of coping with the brief version of the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (brief-COPE) scale and performed an eyes-closed resting state electroencephalographic (EEG) recording. EEG analyses were conducted with the exact Low-Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography software (eLORETA). Positive correlations between religious coping and EEG activity were observed in the theta frequency band in the right hemisphere, specifically in the superior temporal, inferior frontal, and middle temporal gyri. Religious coping scores were significantly positively associated with active coping and positive reframing coping strategies, with the latter not being significantly associated with EEG data. Taken together our results contribute to increase the knowledge on the neurophysiological concomitants of religious coping to stress.

Coping strategies of the nursing team acting in a burn treatment center

OBJECTIVE To know the strategies of coping reported by the nursing team that works at a burn center. METHOD This is a qualitative, descriptive and exploratory study carried out with four nurses and six practical nurses at a burn center in southern Brazil. The data was collected from September to November 2013 through semi-structured interviews, and it was analyzed through the content analysis technique, which happened with the software Atlas.ti 7.0. RESULTS Two themes have emerged: coping focused on the problem, and coping focused on the emotion. Among the main strategies of coping focused on the problem, decision-making and re-evaluation actions should be highlighted; and in the coping focused on the emotion, actions centered on resigned acceptance and emotional extravasation stand out. CONCLUSIONS As the professionals interviewed opted for objective and practical strategies, compatible with coping based on the problem, it is believed that the elaboration is influenced by the workers' individual, collective and institutional contexts.

A cross-sectional study for the impact of coping strategies on mental health disorders among psychiatric nurses

Several studies report that psychiatric nursing is a highly stressful occupation. The ways that nurses use in order to deal with stressful situations have a serious effect on their psychological mood and their health status. The purpose of this study was to investigate the coping strategies in predicting of depression and anxiety among mental health nurses working in public psychiatric hospitals. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in Athens, Greece from April to May 2017. A questionnaire consisting of the socio-demographic and work-related characteristics, the Patient Health Questionnaire-2, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2, and the 38-items Ways of Coping Questionnaire - Greek version, was completed by a total of 110 mental health nurses. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the logistic regression model. Coping strategies focused on the problem (positive re-evaluation, positive approach, problem solving, and seeking social support) were the most commonly used by the mental health nurses. Strategies focused on emotion (prayer/daydream, prayer, avoidance/escape, resignation, and denial) were positively associated with depression and anxiety outcomes. Also, the coping skills of problem solving (Adjusted Odds Ratio, AOR=0.402), and seeking social support (AOR=3.719) were significant predictors only for elevated anxiety symptoms. The results from the study demonstrated the importance of coping behaviours in mental health problems of psychiatric nurses.

Advancement of the German version of the moral distress scale for acute care nurses-A mixed methods study

AIM

Moral distress experienced by nurses in acute care hospitals can adversely impact the affected nurses, their patients and their hospitals; therefore, it is advisable for organizations to establish internal monitoring of moral distress. However, until now, no suitable questionnaire has been available for use in German-speaking contexts. Hence, the aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically test a German-language version of the Moral Distress Scale.

DESIGN

We chose a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, followed by a second quantitative cross-sectional survey.

METHODS

An American moral distress scale was chosen, translated, culturally adapted, tested in a pilot study and subsequently used in 2011 to conduct an initial web-based quantitative cross-sectional survey of nurses in all inpatient units at five hospitals in Switzerland's German-speaking region. Data were analysed descriptively and via a Rasch analysis. In 2012, four focus group interviews were conducted with 26 nurses and then evaluated using knowledge maps. The results were used to improve the questionnaire. In 2015, using the revised German-language instrument, a second survey and Rasch analysis were conducted.

RESULTS

The descriptive results of the first survey's participants (n = 2153; response rate: 44%) indicated that moral distress is a salient phenomenon in Switzerland. The data from the focus group interviews and the Rasch analysis produced information valuable for the questionnaire's further development. Alongside the data from the second survey's participants (n = 1965; response rate: 40%), the Rasch analysis confirmed the elimination of previous deficiencies on its psychometrics. A Rasch-scaled German version of the Moral Distress Scale is now available for use.

Flow in Nurses: A Study of Its Relationship With Health and Burnout in a Hospital Work Context

How does the experience of flow among nurses influences their health? This question is addressed on the basis of a model of flow, stress, burnout, and coping. The results indicate that promoting flow can be a way to enhance the health of ward nurses in a hospital work context.

Nursing staff's experiences of working in an evidence-based designed ICU patient room-An interview study

INTRODUCTION

It has been known for centuries that environment in healthcare has an impact, but despite this, environment has been overshadowed by technological and medical progress, especially in intensive care. Evidence-based design is a concept concerning integrating knowledge from various research disciplines and its application to healing environments.

OBJECTIVE

The aim was to explore the experiences of nursing staff of working in an evidence-based designed ICU patient room.

METHOD

Interviews were carried out with eight critical care nurses and five assistant nurses and then subjected to qualitative content analysis.

FINDINGS

The experience of working in an evidence-based designed intensive care unit patient room was that the room stimulates alertness and promotes wellbeing in the nursing staff, fostering their caring activities but also that the interior design of the medical and technical equipment challenges nursing actions.

CONCLUSIONS

The room explored in this study had been rebuilt in order to create and evaluate a healing environment. This study showed that the new environment had a great impact on the caring staffs' wellbeing and their caring behaviour. At a time when turnover in nurses is high and sick leave is increasing, these findings show the importance of interior design ofintensive care units.

Stress and Coping of Critical Care Nurses After Unsuccessful Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

BACKGROUND

Participation by a critical care nurse in an unsuccessful resuscitation can create a unique heightened level of psychological stress referred to as postcode stress, activation of coping behaviors, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

OBJECTIVES

To explore the relationships among postcode stress, coping behaviors, and PTSD symptom severity in critical care nurses after experiencing unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitations and to see whether institutional support attenuates these repeated psychological traumas.

METHODS

A national sample of 490 critical care nurses was recruited from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses' eNewsline and social media. Participants completed the Post-Code Stress Scale, the Brief COPE (abbreviated), and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, which were administered through an online survey.

RESULTS

Postcode stress and PTSD symptom severity were weakly associated (r = 0.20, P = .01). No significant associations between coping behaviors and postcode stress were found. Four coping behaviors (denial, self-distraction, self-blame, and behavioral disengagement) were significant predictors of PTSD symptom severity. Severity of postcode stress and PTSD symptoms varied with the availability of institutional support.

CONCLUSIONS

Critical care nurses show moderate levels of postcode stress and PTSD symptoms when asked to recall an unsuccessful resuscitation and the coping behaviors used. Identifying the critical care nurses most at risk for PTSD will inform the development of interventional research to promote critical care nurses' psychological well-being and reduce their attrition from the profession.

Mediating effect of coping styles on the association between psychological capital and psychological distress among Chinese nurses: a cross-sectional study

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Studies show that psychological capital (PsyCap) is a protective factor against psychological distress, such as depressive symptoms. However, few have attempted to address the role of coping styles in the relationship between PsyCap and psychological distress. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: Our study found moderate levels of PsyCap among nurses in China. Among the subcategories of PsyCap, optimism and hope were most highly correlated with psychological distress. Psychological distress was positively associated with negative coping and negatively associated with positive coping. This study confirmed the partial mediating effect of coping styles in PsyCap and psychological distress among Chinese nurses. In other words, this study found direct and indirect effects of PsyCap on psychological distress mediated via coping styles. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: The significant mediating effect of negative and positive coping styles between PsyCap and psychological distress has implications for hospital administrators, especially nurse leaders. Effective strategies should be implemented to improve PsyCap and coping styles among Chinese nurses, and alleviate psychological distress. Optimism and hope should be emphasized in PsyCap investment. Different styles of coping are influenced and modified by teaching and experience. Therefore, it is essential that nurse managers organize educational and training programmes to provide nurses with relative coping knowledge and techniques, and improve their coping ability. Several studies suggest that coping styles are affected by social support. Thus, nurse managers should assist nurses with social support and enhance coping strategies to reduce psychological distress.

ABSTRACT

Introduction PsyCap includes four categories namely self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience. Research has demonstrated that PsyCap and coping styles affect current psychological distress. Nevertheless, few studies have explored the role of coping styles in PsyCap and psychological distress. Aim This study investigated the role of coping styles as a mediator in PsyCap and psychological distress among Chinese nurses. Methods Participants included 538 nurses who completed self-report questionnaires assessing PsyCap, coping styles and psychological distress. Linear regression analyses were used to explore the role of coping styles. Results PsyCap, coping styles and psychological distress were significantly correlated. Among the subcategories of PsyCap, optimism and hope were most highly correlated with psychological distress. Coping styles is a partial mediator of PsyCap and psychological distress. Implications for mental health nursing The significant role of negative and positive coping styles in PsyCap and psychological distress has implications for hospital administrators, especially nurse leaders. Effective strategies should be implemented to improve PsyCap and coping styles among Chinese nurses, to alleviate psychological distress. Optimism and hope should be the focus of the improvement. Different styles of coping are developed from education and experience. Therefore, it is necessary for nurse managers to organize educational and training programmes to improve coping skills among nurses. Studies suggest that coping styles are affected by social support. Thus, nurse managers should also assist nurses with social support and enhance coping strategies to reduce psychological distress.

The value of purpose built mental health facilities: Use of the Ward Atmosphere Scale to gauge the link between milieu and physical environment

This study investigated changes in the 'atmosphere' of an acute adult mental health setting following relocation to a new purpose-built facility. The Ward Atmosphere Scale (WAS) was designed and validated for specific use in hospital-based psychiatric facilities, and measures several dimensions of an environment. In this study, the WAS was administered to consumers and staff at periods before and also after their relocation to a new purpose-built acute adult mental health facility. There were significant improvements in the physical atmosphere of the new facility, when compared with the old facility. In terms of ward atmosphere, however, improvements were seen to occur in only a small number of measures and there were minor differences between consumers' and staff perspectives on some indicators. Interestingly, it was found that consumers noted less 'staff control' in the new setting, raising the question of the differences in understanding of control. For staff only, there was a perception of greater levels of consumer 'involvement' in the new facility. Despite the minor differences in perception, the study does confirm that architecture is an important influence on the 'atmosphere' of a health facility, for both staff and consumers.

Subjective health complaints and self-rated health: are expectancies more important than socioeconomic status and workload?

Background

The associations between socioeconomic status (SES), physical and psychosocial workload and health are well documented. According to The Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress (CATS), learned response outcome expectancies (coping, helplessness, and hopelessness) are also important contributors to health. This is in part as independent factors for health, but coping may also function as a buffer against the impact different demands have on health.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relative effect of SES (as measured by level of education), physical workload, and response outcome expectancies on subjective health complaints (SHC) and self-rated health, and if response outcome expectancies mediate the effects of education and physical workload on SHC and self-rated health.

Methods

A survey was carried out among 1,746 Norwegian municipal employees (mean age 44.2, 81 % females). Structural Equation Models with SHC and self-rated health as outcomes were conducted. Education, physical workload, and response outcome expectancies, were the independent 28 variables in the model.

Results

Helplessness/hopelessness had a stronger direct effect on self-rated health and SHC than education and physical workload, for both men and women. Helplessness/hopelessness fully mediated the effect of physical workload on SHC for men (0.121), and mediated 30 % of a total effect of 0.247 for women. For women, education had a small but significant indirect effect through helplessness/hopelessness on self-rated health (0.040) and SHC (−0.040), but no direct effects were found. For men, there was no effect of education on SHC, and only a direct effect on self-rated health (0.134).

Conclusions

The results indicated that helplessness/hopelessness is more important for SHC and health than well-established measures on SES such as years of education and perceived physical workload in this sample. Helplessness/hopelessness seems to function as a mechanism between physical workload and health.

Exposure to bullying behaviors as a predictor of mental health problems among Norwegian nurses: results from the prospective SUSSH-survey

BACKGROUND

The relationship between workplace bullying and mental health problems are well documented in previous cross-sectional studies, but knowledge on how this relationship develops over time is still scarce.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to explore the prospective relationship between exposure to bullying behaviors at baseline, and increased symptoms of mental health problems (anxiety, depression, fatigue) one year later. Furthermore, the reverse relationship was investigated.

DESIGN

This is a prospective longitudinal study, where members of the Norwegian Nurses Organization answered identical questions regarding workplace bullying and mental health problems, at baseline (2008-2009) and follow-up (2010).

PARTICIPANTS

Altogether, 1582 nurses completed both questionnaires.

RESULTS

Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that exposure to bullying behaviors at baseline predicted subsequent increased symptoms of anxiety and fatigue, after adjusting for baseline symptoms of anxiety and fatigue respectively, age, gender, night work and job demands. Moreover, symptoms of anxiety, depression and fatigue at baseline predicted increased exposure to bullying behaviors one year later, after adjusting for exposure to bullying behaviors at baseline, age, gender, night work and job demands.

CONCLUSION

In this study we find support for a reciprocal relationship between exposure to bullying behaviors and symptoms of anxiety and fatigue, respectively. Thus, the results may indicate a vicious circle where workplace bullying and mental health problems mutually affect each other negatively.

[Study of stress, coping and psychosomatic health among baccalaureate nurses-to-be]

Stress is a risk factor that may endanger our quality of life and health. Certain occupational groups are particularly concerned, such as health care workers.

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to investigate the stress load and coping strategies of nurses as well as their psychosomatic health.

METHOD

The questionnaire survey was performed at the University of Szeged. The sample consisted of 208 nursing students (136 part-time and 72 full-time students). The self-completed questionnaire included items of psychosomatic symptoms, coping strategies and stress load.

RESULTS

Persons characterized by high level of stress and more frequent psychosomatic symptoms tended to use inadaptive ways of coping more often; whereas those with a relatively lower stress level and fewer symptoms were not characterized by a more frequent use of active ways of coping but instead a lack of the inadaptive coping strategies.

CONCLUSIONS

The authors concluded that vulnerability of the would-be baccalaureate nurses in this sample was especially high because they even used less effectively the ways of coping that otherwise aimed at both problem solving and maintaining their own health.