Nurses’ emotions, emotion regulation and emotional exhaustion

Exploring the Link Between Emotional Intelligence and Compassionate Communication in Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

The main purposes of the nursing profession are to protect and improve health and to prevent and heal diseases. It is crucial to investigate the factors that can influence nurses' ability to enhance their performance in their professional lives and conduct the nursing care process more qualitatively and effectively.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine the association between emotional intelligence and compassionate communication in nurses.

METHODS

This cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted with 140 nurses working in various units of the public hospital in Kilis, Turkey. Data were collected through a demographic information form, Emotional Intelligence Scale, and Compassionate Communication Scale.

RESULTS

It was determined that nurses' emotional intelligence and compassionate communication were above average. A significant association was found between nurses' emotional intelligence and compassionate communication (F = 16.08, P < .001) and emotional intelligence explains 10% of the variance in compassionate communication (R = 0.323, R2 = 0.104).

CONCLUSIONS

Emotional intelligence and compassionate communication should be taken into consideration so that nurses can recognize and understand patients' emotions, alleviate their hurt, and deliver delicate, kind, and compassionate care.

Socio-cognitive mindfulness in nursing: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

While research on meditative mindfulness in nursing is abundant, research on socio-cognitive mindfulness is in its early stages despite its potential advantages to nursing practice and nursing education. This study introduces the under-examined concept of socio-cognitive mindfulness to the nursing field.

OBJECTIVE

To identify what is known in the research field of socio-cognitive mindfulness in nursing. Specific aims were to identify the effects of socio-cognitive mindfulness on nurses and nursing students, and the application of socio-cognitive mindfulness interventions and their effectiveness in nursing.

DESIGN

A scoping review following the Arksey and O'Malley framework.

METHODS

An electronic search of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science, ERIC, and ProQuest databases was conducted. The search included full-text papers published in peer-reviewed journals in English. The included studies were independently examined by the two authors to ensure the thorough inclusion of relevant research by screening of titles and abstracts and screening of full-texts. The selected papers were categorized based on the specific objectives of the review.

RESULTS

Out of 5,798 papers, six quantitative studies and one mixed method study were included in the review. Among the seven studies, two studies investigated the effects of socio-cognitive mindfulness on nurses, four examined the effects of socio-cognitive mindfulness on nursing students, and one conducted an intervention study applying socio-cognitive mindfulness and identified its effects on nurses. The findings revealed several benefits of applying socio-cognitive mindfulness to nursing practice and nursing education. Specifically, socio-cognitive mindfulness enhanced nurses' and nursing students' positive emotions and effective emotion regulation, which would positively influence nurses' nursing performance as well as students' academic outcomes and quality of college life.

CONCLUSIONS

This study raises researchers' awareness of the significance of socio-cognitive mindfulness in nursing, and strongly recommends applying socio-cognitive mindfulness to nursing practice and nursing education and evaluating its effects.

Phenomenological characteristics of autobiographical future thinking in nurses with burnout: a case-control study

Objective

Nurses constitute the largest group of healthcare workers worldwide, and job burnout is very common among them. This study aims to explore abnormal future thinking in nurses with burnout. Additionally, the study investigates whether these manifestations worsen as burnout progresses.

Methods

The study was conducted in inpatient ward nurses at a tertiary hospital in Hangzhou, China. In the first phase, two group of nurses were recruited: nurses with burnout (N = 70) and nurses without burnout (N = 70). In the second phase, three groups were recruited according to the burnout levels: mild burnout (N = 43), moderate burnout (N = 42) and severe burnout (N = 43). Data on job burnout were obtained using the Chinese Maslach Burnout Inventory. The Sentence Completion for Events in the Future Test (SCEFT) was employed to measure the content of future thinking, which was evaluated by two raters in terms of the specificity, emotional valence, and concrete content of the imagined future events. The proportions of specific types of events among all the produced events were calculated.

Results

The results revealed that nurses with burnout, compared to nurses without burnout, imagined fewer specific future events, positive events, and events related to relationships and achievement. They also had more omissions. As the level of burnout increased, their impairment in future thinking worsened. Furthermore, the results also revealed that the scores of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment had significant correlations with the proportions of positive events and events related to relationships and achievement/mastery in nurses' future thinking content.

Conclusion

The future thinking ability of nurses with burnout was impaired, and this impairment worsened as the symptoms of burnout progressed. The findings of the present study have important implications for nurse caring and advocate effective interventions targeting positive future thinking to mitigate nurses' burnout.

A stenography of empathy: Toward a consensual model of the empathic process

Empathy has gained popularity in the general population and the scientific world during the past decade. Recently, several researchers found a significant decrease in empathy scores of healthcare students (notably medical students) and recommend promoting empathy skills in several fields of education. The current paper presents a new model of the empathic process: a stenography of empathy compelling scientific data and contemporary conceptions. Indeed, we combined all pioneer researchers' conceptions of empathy (Davis, Decety, Batson, Preston & de Waal) into an integrative model. This model is centered on the empathizer (i.e., a person observing a target experiencing emotions) and displays how all empathy components are articulated, explaining the individuals' general functioning and how the process might become dysfunctional. We illustrated applications of the model with three clinical examples (i.e., burnout, psychopathy, and borderline personality disorders) to display how empathy is related to psychopathological symptoms. We believe this new dynamic and sequential model would be helpful in explaining how empathy works, which is of great interest to healthcare students, clinicians, researchers, and academics.

Mediating effects of emotion regulation between socio-cognitive mindfulness and empathy in nurses: a cross-sectional study

Background

Acknowledging the under-examined research of socio-cognitive mindfulness and Gross’s emotion regulation strategies in nursing, this study investigated the relationships between socio-cognitive mindfulness, emotion regulation (i.e., reappraisal and suppression), and empathy among nurses. It also explored the mediating effects of emotion regulation.

Methods

A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted in a sample of 245 nurses from two university hospitals in South Korea. Convenience sampling was used to collect data between August 3 and September 29, 2020. Participants completed the questionnaire measuring their socio-cognitive mindfulness, emotion regulation, and empathy. Structural equation modeling and path analysis were conducted for data analysis.

Results

Socio-cognitive mindfulness positively influenced emotion regulation of reappraisal (β = 0.404, p < 0.01) and empathy (β = 0.402, p < 0.01), but negatively influenced emotion regulation of suppression (β = −0.149, p < 0.05). Reappraisal positively influenced empathy (β = 0.341, p < 0.01), whereas suppression negatively influenced empathy (β = −0.127, p < 0.05). Importantly, emotion regulation of reappraisal mediated the association between socio-cognitive mindfulness and empathy (a X b = 0.107, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

The findings indicate that socio-cognitive mindfulness is effective in improving empathy among nurses by enhancing reappraisal. This study can provide a foundation for developing socio-cognitive mindfulness or emotion regulation programs to improve empathy among nurses, which would ultimately lead to better nursing performance by increasing patient satisfaction.

Work Environment Characteristics and Emotional Intelligence as Correlates of Nurses' Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study

This cross-sectional survey study examined the relationship between Canadian nurses' work environment characteristics, emotional intelligence, compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction (n = 1271). Psychological demands, decision latitude, supervisor and coworker support, and emotional intelligence (EI) were significantly correlated with nurses' compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue, except for two EI subscales. Furthermore, these relationships were stronger for compassion satisfaction than compassion fatigue, suggesting that they are influenced by different factors. Our results highlight the importance of creating reasonable psychological demands, empowering nurses to make decisions in their jobs, supportive relationships at work, and fostering the development of nurses' EI.

Mediating Effects of Emotion Regulation between Socio-Cognitive Mindfulness and Achievement Emotions in Nursing Students

BACKGROUND

Mindfulness is known as an effective emotion regulation strategy and is beneficial for improving emotions. While meditative mindfulness has been widely studied, socio-cognitive mindfulness has received little attention in nursing literature, despite its potential benefits to the field. This study investigated relationships between nursing students' socio-cognitive mindfulness, emotion regulation (reappraisal and suppression), and achievement emotions, and explored the mediating effects of emotion regulation.

METHODS

A total of 459 nursing students from three universities in Korea completed the questionnaire measuring the study variables. Structural equation modeling and path analysis were conducted to test the hypotheses.

RESULTS

Socio-cognitive mindfulness was found to positively influence reappraisal while negatively influencing suppression. Additionally, socio-cognitive mindfulness positively predicted positive achievement emotions but negatively predicted negative emotions. Reappraisal positively influenced positive emotions, whereas suppression positively influenced negative emotions. Furthermore, reappraisal mediated the link between mindfulness and positive emotions, and suppression mediated the link between mindfulness and negative emotions.

CONCLUSIONS

Socio-cognitive mindfulness may be effective in regulating emotions among nursing students by enhancing reappraisal and reducing suppression. Mediating effects highlight the relevance of students' emotion regulation in nursing education, suggesting the need to develop emotion regulation education programs.

Effects of Zentangle art workplace health promotion activities on rural healthcare workers

OBJECTIVES

Workplace health promotion activities have a positive effect on emotions. Zentangle art relaxes the body and mind through the process of concentrating while painting, achieving a healing effect. This study aimed to promote the physical and mental health of rural healthcare workers through Zentangle art-based intervention.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a quasi-experimental pilot study.

METHODS

A Zentangle art workshop was held from November 2019 to July 2020. A total of 40 healthcare workers were recruited. The participants were asked to provide baseline data, and the Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5), work stress management effectiveness self-rating scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and Workplace Spirituality Scale (WSS) were administered before and after the workshop. SPSS 22.0 statistical package software was used to conduct the data analysis.

RESULTS

The median age (interquartile range [IQR]) was 32.00 years (23.00-41.75 years). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed that the median (IQR) BSRS-5 postintervention score was 4.0 (1.25-5.0), which was lower than the preintervention score (P = 0.004). The postintervention score for the work stress management effectiveness self-rating scale was 36.5 (31.0-40.0), which was also lower than the preintervention score (P = 0.009). A higher score for the GSES or WSS indicated improvements in stress management and self-efficacy. The GSES postintervention score 25.00 (21.0-30.75) was significantly higher than the preintervention score (P = 0.010), and the WSS postintervention score 104.0 (88.0-111.75) was significantly higher than the preintervention score (P = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

The study provides evidence that painting therapy can effectively relieve stress, reduce workplace stress and frustration, enhance self-efficacy, and increase commitment to work among healthcare workers, thus improving their physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Zentangle art provides employees with multiple channels for expressing their emotions and can improve the physical and mental health of healthcare workers in the workplace. It is beneficial and cost-effective and can serve as a benchmark for peer learning.

Nurses’ emotions, emotional labor, and job satisfaction

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between emotional labor, emotions, and job satisfaction among nurses, and explore the mediating role of emotions in the relationship between emotional labor and job satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional study was designed with 168 nurses in Korea. Structural equation modeling and path analysis were performed to analyze data.

Findings

Surface acting correlated positively with anxiety and frustration. Deep acting correlated positively with enjoyment and pride but correlated negatively with anxiety, anger and frustration. Enjoyment and pride correlated positively with job satisfaction; anger correlated negatively with job satisfaction. Deep acting correlated positively with job satisfaction, while surface acting did not show a significant relationship. Enjoyment, pride and anger mediated the relationship between deep acting and job satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

This research expands empirical findings on nurses’ emotional experiences, by considering their discrete emotions rather than general affect. It is the first study to empirically examine the relationships between emotional labor, discrete emotions and job satisfaction, as well as the mediating role of emotions in the relationship between emotional labor and job satisfaction in the nursing field. The mediating role of emotions suggests that not only nurses and nurse managers but also hospital administrators should take nurses’ emotions into account to increase nurses’ well-being and their job satisfaction. Finally, differential influences of surface acting and deep acting on nurses’ emotional experiences and job satisfaction highlight the need for practical interventions to promote the use of deep acting among nurses.

Originality/value

This study confirms the mediating role of emotions in the relationship between emotional labor and job satisfaction in the nursing field. It encourages future research to pay greater attention to nurses’ emotions themselves along with emotional labor. Findings add an interdisciplinary aspect to research on nursing by assimilating psychological perspectives of emotion and emotion management research to this field.