Systemic assessment of depressive symptoms among registered nurses: A new situation-specific theory

The effect of a mindfulness-based intervention on stress overload, depression, and mindfulness among nurses: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Nurses experience various health-related issues due to the nature of their work.

AIM

This study aimed to examine the effect of a mindfulness-based intervention on stress overload, depression and mindfulness among nurses. A secondary objective was to examine the role of the setting (i.e., in and out of the hospital as a natural setting) on mindfulness-based intervention effectiveness.

METHODS

A randomized controlled trial with three groups' pretest-posttest design was used in this study. A total of 195 nurses were recruited-65 intervention-inside hospital, 60 intervention-outside hospital, and 63 control. The mindfulness-based intervention was delivered by a certified mindfulness practitioner over 4 weeks in Jordan. Data were collected using a demographics questionnaire, the Stress Overload Scale Short, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised, and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Multivariate analysis showed a statistically significant effect of the intervention on the linear combination of the dependent variables V = 0.44, F[6, 368] = 17.56, p < .001. Follow-up analyses showed that a mindfulness-based intervention significantly decreased stress overload, depression, and increased mindfulness levels among nurses in intervention groups compared with the control group. In addition, conducting a mindfulness-based intervention outside the hospital has a better effect on mindfulness levels than the inside hospital.

LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION

The effect of a mindfulness-based intervention on stress overload, depression, and mindfulness should be considered when planning for nurses' well-being and the quality of care provided. Nurse managers are encouraged to use the study's findings to promote nurses' well-being.

Psychological capital among clinical nurses: A latent profile analysis

AIM

To determine the psychological capital level of nurses and explore the latent profiles of nurses regarding their psychological capital scores.

BACKGROUND

The use of individual-centered analysis for the connotation of nurses' psychological capital structure is less studied and still needs to be further explored.

METHODS

By the convenience sampling method, 494 clinical nurses from 7 general hospitals in Sichuan province were selected. The study was conducted from December 2022 to February 2023. Latent profile analysis was used for data analysis. We followed STROBE guidelines in this research.

RESULTS

The total mean score of nurses' psychological capital is 5.17 (SD = 0.8). The following four latent profiles were identified: "poor" (4.5%), "medium" (22.9%), "well-off" (41.5%), and "rich" (31.1%). Multiple logistic regression showed that the number of hours worked per day and the number of night shifts per month were negative predictors of psychological capital, and psychological training and job satisfaction were protective factors of psychological capital.

DISCUSSION

Our study found that the four profiles can be distinguished by "poor," "well-off," "medium," and "rich" levels of psychological capital. Among them, more than 70% of the nurses belonged to the well-off and rich profiles, and the number of the poor profile was the lowest.

CONCLUSION

The overall psychological capital of clinical nurses is at a medium-high level. Each profile is influenced by multiple sociodemographic factors (i.e., age, working hours, monthly income, psychological training, and job satisfaction).

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY

Administrators should develop enhancement strategies to improve the mental health of nurses based on the characteristics of their psychological capital profiles.

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.

Meta-analysis of nursing-related organizational and psychosocial predictors of sickness absence

BACKGROUND

Nursing is a stressful occupation with high rates of sickness absence. To date, there are no meta-analyses that statistically determined the correlates of sickness absence in this population.

AIMS

This meta-analysis examined organizational and psychosocial predictors of sickness absence among nursing staff.

METHODS

As a registered systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42017071040), which followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, five databases (CINAHL, PROQuest Allied, PROQuest database theses, PsycINFO, PubMed) were reviewed to examine predictors of sickness absence in nurses and nursing assistants between 1990 and 2019. The Population/Intervention/Comparison/Outcome tool was used to support our searches. Effect sizes were analysed using random-effects model.

RESULTS

Following critical appraisals using (i) National Institutes of Health's Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies and (ii) Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology, 21 studies were included. Nursing assistants had greater odds of sickness absence than nurses. Working night shifts, in paediatrics or psychiatric units, experiencing poor mental health, and fatigue, also increased the odds of sickness absence. There was no evidence that job satisfaction or job strain influenced sickness absence; however, job demand increased the likelihood. Finally, work support reduced the odds of lost-time.

CONCLUSIONS

We synthesized three decades of research where several factors influenced sickness absence. Due to limited recent research, the results should be interpreted with caution as some practices may have changed overtime or between countries. Nevertheless, these findings could help in applying preventative strategies to mitigate lost-time in a vulnerable working population.

Does Psychological Capital Mediate Between Workplace Violence and Depressive Symptoms Among Doctors and Nurses in Chinese General Hospitals?

Background

Depressive symptoms related to workplace violence (WPV) have been studied and are the main causes of lower psychological and physical well-being and work motivation. Our study aims to examine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and to explore whether psychological capital (PsyCap) mediates the effect of WPV on depressive symptoms in doctors and nurses.

Methods

Participants were recruited from general hospitals in Liaoning, China in 2018. Out of 1218 participants, 1062 (87.2%) completed self-reported questionnaires. Depressive symptoms, WPV and PsyCap were measured by Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Workplace Violence Scale (WVS) and Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ), respectively. The related factors of depressive symptoms were investigated by using hierarchical multiple regression in both doctors and nurses.

Results

The mean scores of depressive symptoms were 23.09 ± 8.38 in doctors and 22.33 ± 8.95 in nurses, and there was no significant difference between the scores of these two groups. WPV was positively associated with depressive symptoms (doctors: β=0.349, P<0.001; nurses: β=0.317, P<0.001) while PsyCap was negatively associated with depressive symptoms (doctors: β=−0.101, P<0.001; nurses: β=−0.230, P<0.001). In addition, PsyCap acted as a mediating role between WPV and depressive symptoms in both doctors and nurses.

Conclusion

Both doctors and nurses had serious depressive symptoms. WPV could aggravate depressive symptoms, while PsyCap could aggravate against depressive symptoms. When PsyCap acted as a mediator, WPV had a negative impact on PsyCap, which could increase doctors’ and nurses’ depressive symptoms.

Application of the Roy Adaptation Theory to a care program for nurses

Theory-guided nursing practice is foundational in providing the framework for the development of excellent nursing care. There is a need for effective care programs for nurses, whereby they are adequately supported within their workplace infrastructures as a professional group whose work is essential to the provision of healthcare worldwide. Likewise, there is a need for care programs for nurses to be theory-guided. In the current global pandemic climate, the well-being of nurses continues to become compromised evidenced by increasing moral distress, compassion fatigue, and burnout. Theory-based supportive programs are vital to the overall wellbeing, morale, and retention of nurses. The Roy Adaptation Theory may serve as a guide in the development and evaluation of a hospital-based program designed to support the needs of the healthcare team. This discussion will explore the application of the Roy Adaptation Theory-Group Identity Mode to the Tea for the Soul Care Model for nurses.