Protective resources against stress among student nurses: Influences of self-efficacy, emotional intelligence and conflict management styles

AIMS

This study aimed to investigate the levels of stress among French student nurses and the influence of different personal resources on their well-being and stress levels.

BACKGROUND

Student nurses have to cope with strong emotional demands, leading them to experience academic stress. Recent studies have highlighted the influence of personal resources such as self-efficacy, conflict management styles and emotional intelligence on the ability to cope with stressful situations. However, the contributions of these different factors have so far been explored separately.

DESIGN

A multicenter cross-sectional survey was performed from February to April 2022. The sample consisted of 1021 first-year student nurses from different nursing schools in France (including 890 women and 113 men), aged 18-55 years.

METHODS

Students completed an online questionnaire containing measures of well-being, Perceived Stress Scale, Occupational Stress, Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, Emotional Intelligence and Conflict Management Styles.

RESULTS

Nearly half (40.4%) of participants reported experiencing symptoms of stress. However, they also reported a satisfactory well-being and high self-efficacy for coping with stressful situations. Multiple regression analyses revealed major contributions of self-efficacy to stress and well-being and additional mediation models showed that these contributions were partially mediated by awareness of one's own and others' emotions.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings highlight the importance of continuing to work on the construction of appropriate educational activities that are consistent with the technical and, above all, nontechnical skills of student nurses.

Virtual reality environments to train soft skills in medical and nursing education: a technical feasibility study between France and Japan

PURPOSE

To meet the urgent and massive training needs of healthcare professionals, the use of digital technologies is proving increasingly relevant, and the rise of digital training platforms shows their usefulness and possibilities. However, despite the impact of these platforms on the medical skills learning, cultural differences are rarely factored in the implementation of these training environments.

METHODS

By using the Scrub Nurse Non-Technical Skills Training System (SunSet), we developed a methodology enabling the adaptation of a virtual reality-based environment and scenarios from French to Japanese cultural and medical practices. We then conducted a technical feasibility study between France and Japan to assess virtual reality simulations acceptance among scrub nurses.

RESULTS

Results in term of acceptance do not reveal major disparity between both populations, and the only emerging significant difference between both groups is on the Behavioral Intention, which is significantly higher for the French scrub nurses. In both cases, participants had a positive outlook.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that the methodology we have implemented can be further used in the context of cultural adaptation of non-technical skills learning scenarios in virtual environments for the training and assessment of health care personnel.

Work-From-Home During COVID-19 Lockdown: When Employees' Well-Being and Creativity Depend on Their Psychological Profiles

With the COVID-19 pandemic, governments implemented successive lockdowns that forced employees to work from home (WFH) to contain the spread of the coronavirus. This crisis raises the question of the effects of mandatory work from home on employees' well-being and performance, and whether these effects are the same for all employees. In the present study, we examined whether working at home may be related to intensity, familiarity with WFH, employees' well-being (loneliness at work, stress, job satisfaction, and work engagement) and creativity ('subjective' and 'objective'). We also examined whether the psychological profile of employees, combining preference for solitude and associated personality variables from the Big Five, may influence the effects of WFH. The data were collected via an online survey from November 13th to December 15th 2020 among 946 employees from various organizations during the second lockdown in France. In addition to identifying two distinctive psychological profiles for employees having to WFH, results revealed that those with a "Solitary" profile reported higher loneliness at work, higher levels of stress, and lower levels of job satisfaction and work engagement than those with an "Affiliative" profile. It was also found that employees with a "Solitary" profile perceived themselves as less creative and produced objectively fewer ideas than individuals with an "Affiliative" profile. The present study suggests the necessity to distinguish the profiles of teleworkers and to offer a stronger support for the less affiliative employees when working from home.

Revisiting the Effects of Gender Diversity in Small Groups on Divergent Thinking: A Large-Scale Study Using Synchronous Electronic Brainstorming

Numerous studies have examined the effects of gender diversity in groups on creative performance, and no clear effect has been identified. Findings depend on situational cues making gender diversity more or less salient in groups. A large-scale study on two cohorts (N = 2,261) was conducted among business students to examine the impact of the gender diversity in small groups on divergent thinking in an idea-generation task performed by synchronous electronic brainstorming. Participants were automatically randomized in three- or four-member groups to generate ideas during 10 min on a gendered or neutral task. Then, five categories of groups where the proportion of men/women in groups varied from three/four men to three/four women were compared to examine creative performance on three divergent thinking measures (fluency, flexibility, and originality). A Multivariate Generalized Linear Mixed Model (mGLMM) showed greater fluency in all-women groups than in other groups (except mixed-gender groups composed of two men and two women), and more specifically "solo" groups composed of a single woman/man among a majority of men/women. For flexibility and originality, the superiority of all-women groups was found only in comparison to "solo" groups composed of a single woman. As gender differences are more salient in "solo" groups than in other groups faultlines may appear in groups, leading to a deleterious impact on creative performance.

Socio-Emotional Competencies and School Performance in Adolescence: What Role for School Adjustment?

There is growing evidence in the literature of positive relationships between socio-emotional competencies and school performance. Several hypotheses have been used to explain how these variables may be related to school performance. In this paper, we explored the role of various school adjustment variables in the relationship between interpersonal socio-emotional competencies and school grades, using a weighted network approach. This network approach allowed us to analyze the structure of interrelations between each variable, pointing to both central and mediatory school and socio-emotional variables within the network. Self-reported data from around 3,400 French vocational high school students were examined. This data included a set of interpersonal socio-emotional competencies (cognitive and affective empathy, socio-emotional behaviors and collective orientation), school adjustment measures (adaptation to the institution, school anxiety, self-regulation at school, and self-perceived competence at school) as well as grades in mathematics and French language. The results showed that self-regulation at school weighted the most strongly on the whole network, and was the most important mediatory pathway. More specifically, self-regulation mediated the relationships between interpersonal socio-emotional competencies and school grades.

Stay at home! When personality profiles influence mental health and creativity during the COVID-19 lockdown

With the COVID-19 outbreak, the population was suddenly forced to "stay at home". Although research suggests that social isolation affects health and wellbeing, reactions may vary depending on individuals. The current study assessed the relationships between personality variables (preference for solitude and Big Five personality), mental health (anxiety, stress, loneliness), and creativity, and tried to determine whether the identified personality profiles affect individuals' mental health and creativity. French respondents (N = 430) filled in an online questionnaire during the first lockdown in Spring 2020. The results showed that the preference for solitude and personality variables of the Big Five predicted individuals' mental health and creativity. Moreover, a cluster analysis revealed three profiles of individuals: "Affiliation", "Emotionally Stable Lonely" and "Emotionally Unstable Lonely". Results showed that individuals with "Affiliation" and "Emotionally Unstable Lonely" profiles expressed higher stress and anxiety, and the latter performed better on a divergent creative thinking task. By contrast, those with an "Emotionally Stable Lonely" profile expressed a lower level of loneliness, and performed better on a creative insight task. These findings reveal the importance of personality profiles in psychological reactions during lockdowns. With this knowledge, health professionals could develop appropriate interventions to accompany high-risk individuals in situations of social isolation.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-01885-3.

Training situational awareness for scrub nurses: Error recognition in a virtual operating room

Virtual reality simulation provides interesting opportunities to train nurses in a safe environment. While the virtual operating room has proven to be a useful training tool for technical skills, it has been less studied for non-technical skills. This study aimed to assess "Error recognition in a virtual operating room", using a simulation scenario designed to improve situation awareness. Eighteen scrub-nurse students and 8 expert scrub-nurses took part in the experiment. They were immersed in a virtual operating room and reported any errors they observed. There were nineteen errors with various degrees of severity. Measures were retrieved from logs (number of errors, time for detection, movements) and from questionnaires (situation awareness, subjective workload, anxiety and user experience). The results showed that the participants who detected most errors had a higher level of situation awareness, detected high-risk errors faster and felt more immersed in the virtual operating room than those detecting fewer errors. They also felt the workload was lighter and experienced more satisfaction. Students explored the operating room more than experts did and detected more errors, especially those with moderate risk. Debriefings confirmed that virtual simulation is acceptable to trainees and motivates them. It also provides useful and original material for debriefings.

Psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Standard Precautions Questionnaire for health professionals in Brazil

OBJECTIVES

to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Standard Precautions Questionnaire.

METHODS

this is a methodological study conducted with physicians and nursing professionals for the evaluation of psychometric properties. A reliability analysis was conducted using Cronbach's alpha. Exploratory factor analysis was performed and scores were analyzed using the known-groups method.

RESULTS

the scale was applied to 300 professionals: 88 nurses, 163 nursing technicians and 49 physicians. Cronbach's alpha was 0.71. All items presented satisfactory factor loading. Known-group validity showed sensitivity of differences in the scores of socio-cognitive factors, where nurses obtained a significant effect in scores of intention (4.77; p=0.000) and individual constraints (3.52; p=0.041) when compared to other health professionals.

CONCLUSIONS

satisfactory construct reliability and validity were obtained for the Brazilian version of the questionnaire, allowing a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of socio-cognitive determinants of compliance with standard precautions.

Personal and psychosocial factors of burnout: A survey within the French neurosurgical community

Object

The neurosurgical community is particularly exposed to burnout. The objectives of this study were to report the prevalence and associated factors of burnout within the French neurosurgical community using validated academic and psychologic scales.

Methods

A national survey was sent to 141 French residents and 432 neurosurgeons between April and July 2019. Burnout was surveyed using the Maslach burnout inventory. The survey included demographic data and several academic psychologic scales. A stepwise multiple regression was used to determine factors that are associated with burnout scores.

Results

The response rate was 100% and 23.6% for residents and neurosurgeons, respectively. Prevalence of burnout within the French neurosurgical community was 49%. There were no significant differences between residents and neurosurgeons. Two categories of factors were associated with the main dimensions of burnout during the stepwise multiple regression: personality and factors related with neurosurgical practice. Personality types such as neuroticism were negatively associated with burnout while agreeableness was protective. Work addictive profile with excessive work and absorption at work were negatively associated. Factors associated with neurosurgical practice such as conflict of work into family life, unbalanced effort to reward ratio, work duration were negatively associated. Pleasure at work was protective.

Conclusion

Prevalence of burnout is high among French neurosurgeons. Predictive models can be used to identify and prevent burnout among profiles at risk.

Impact of the complexity of surgical procedures and intraoperative interruptions on neurosurgical team workload

BACKGROUND

Neurosurgical teams are exposed to various stressors: complexity of surgical procedures, environment, time pressure and interruptions contribute to increasing the perceived workload.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of interruptions and surgical complexity on neurosurgical team workload.

METHODS

A prospective observational study was conducted on thirty surgical procedures of graduated complexity recorded in our Department of Neurosurgery. A scale was created and used by neurosurgeons to evaluate the perceived complexity of the surgical procedure. Interruptions and severity of interruptions were noted. The workloads of the neurosurgeon, surgical assistant, scrub nurse and circulating nurse were measured on the Surgery Task Load Index (SURG-TLX) at the end of the procedure.

RESULTS

A mean 24.6 interruptions per hour were recorded. The mean interference level of the interruptions was 3.5/7. Mean surgical complexity was 4.3/10. Mean sterile team workload was 43.4/100. The multiple linear regression model showed that sterile team workload increased with surgical complexity (β=6.692, P=.0002) but decreased in spite of increases in the number of interruptions per hour (β=-0.855, P=.027). Neurosurgeon and surgical assistant workload increased with surgical complexity (β=11.53, P<0.0001 and β=7.42, P=0.0007, respectively). Scrub nurse workload decreased in spite of increases in the number of interruptions per hour (β=-1.11, P=.026).

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests positive effects of some interruptions during elective neurosurgical procedures with strong team familiarity.

Interruptions in Surgery: A Comprehensive Review

BACKGROUND

Recent literature showed that analysis of interruptions can contribute to evaluating the care process in the operating room, and thus, understanding potential errors that may occur during surgical procedures. The aim of this comprehensive review was to summarize current knowledge on the description and impact of interruptions in surgery.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A literature search was conducted according to a set of criteria in the databases MEDLINE, BASE, Cochrane's Library, and PsycINFO.

RESULTS

41 articles were included. Two main methodological approaches were found, observational in the OR, or controlled in an experimental simulated environment. Interruptions in the OR were manifold, and several classifications were used. The severity of interruptions differed according to the category of the interruptions. Interruptions were influenced by team familiarity and the expertise of the surgical team; high team familiarity and a high level of expertise decreased the frequency of interruptions. However, our literature search lacked controlled studies carried out in the OR. Interruptions seemed to increase the workload and stress of the surgical team and impair nontechnical skills, but no clear evidence of this was advanced.

CONCLUSIONS

Interruptions are probably risk factors for errors in the operating room. However, there is as yet no clear evidence of the association of interruption frequency with errors in the operating room. There is a need to define and target interruptions, which should be reduced by putting safeguards in place, thereby allowing those which could be beneficial and neglecting those with no potential consequences.

STANDARD PRECAUTIONS QUESTIONNAIRE: ADAPTAÇÃO CULTURAL E VALIDAÇÃO SEMÂNTICA PARA PROFISSIONAIS DE SAÚDE NO BRASIL

Objetivo: realizar a adaptação cultural e a validação semântica do Standard Precautions Questionnairepara profissionais de saúde brasileiros.Métodos: estudo desenvolvido entre 2017 e 2018 no Rio de Janeiro. A adaptação cultural incluiu atradução, o consenso sobre a versão em português, a avaliação por especialistas, a retrotradução,o consenso e a comparação com a versão original, a avaliação semântica e a validação semântica.Todos os aspectos éticos foram respeitados.Resultados: na validação de conteúdo, as pontuações variaram de 0.60 a 1.00 e a pontuação foiigual a 0.96, indicando que os itens são muito representativos. Na avaliação semântica, 22 (80%)itens foram considerados relevantes e 24 (100%) itens foram considerados claros e compreensíveispor todos os profissionais.Conclusão: os itens da versão brasileira do instrumento foram representativos e relevantes paraa prática clínica de profissionais de saúde na avaliação dos obstáculos para aderir a precauçõespadrão. Estudos são necessários para avaliar as propriedades psicométricas do instrumento.

Learning procedural skills with a virtual reality simulator: An acceptability study

BACKGROUND

Virtual Reality (VR) simulation has recently been developed and has improved surgical training. Most VR simulators focus on learning technical skills and few on procedural skills. Studies that evaluated VR simulators focused on feasibility, reliability or easiness of use, but few of them used a specific acceptability measurement tool.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the study was to assess acceptability and usability of a new VR simulator for procedural skill training among scrub nurses, based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model.

PARTICIPANTS

The simulator training system was tested with a convenience sample of 16 non-expert users and 13 expert scrub nurses from the neurosurgery department of a French University Hospital.

METHODS

The scenario was designed to train scrub nurses in the preparation of the instrumentation table for a craniotomy in the operating room (OR).

RESULTS

Acceptability of the VR simulator was demonstrated with no significant difference between expert scrub nurses and non-experts. There was no effect of age, gender or expertise. Workload, immersion and simulator sickness were also rated equally by all participants. Most participants stressed its pedagogical interest, fun and realism, but some of them also regretted its lack of visual comfort.

CONCLUSION

This VR simulator designed to teach surgical procedures can be widely used as a tool in initial or vocational training.

When team member familiarity affects transactive memory and skills: a simulation-based training among police teams

The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of team member familiarity on both technical and non-technical skills of police officers and to examine the mediating role of transactive memory components (specialization, coordination and credibility). Student police officers (N = 150) carried out professional simulation sessions in groups of three, with either familiar (n = 22 teams) or unfamiliar (n = 28 teams) team members, followed by a skills evaluation exercise. Professional instructors evaluated skills through direct observation of team member behaviours. The results revealed that training in familiar teams improved police officers' technical and non-technical skills and transactive memory system. The effect of team familiarity on skills was mediated by transactive memory and specifically by the tacit coordination component. The findings are discussed in relation to the literature on the effects of team member familiarity on team performance, and implications for team training and staffing (turnover of personnel) in actions teams. Practitioner Summary: This study examined the effect of team member familiarity on both the technical and non-technical skills of police officers. Training in familiar teams improved skills and transactive memory. The positive effect of team member familiarity on skills was mediated by the coordination facet of transactive memory.

Multilevel influences of team identification and transactive memory on team effectiveness

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of transactive memory between team identification and two outcomes of team effectiveness (i.e. team member satisfaction and team performance).

Design/methodology/approach

Data were obtained from a survey among 502 employees working in 53 teams, and analyzed by Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling.

Findings

Results showed that transactive memory partially mediated the relationship between team identification and team effectiveness at the individual level. Moreover, transactive memory, specifically the coordination component, fully mediated the relationship between team identification and team effectiveness at the team level.

Research limitations/implications

The study used a cross-sectional design for the questionnaire and no objective measure of team performance.

Practical implications

Managers who want to develop effective work teams may be advised to organize team-building activities to strengthen both affective and cognitive aspects.

Originality value

This is the first empirical study to examine the relationships between team identification, transactive memory and team effectiveness from a multilevel perspective.

The influence of work characteristics, emotional display rules and affectivity on burnout and job satisfaction: A survey among geriatric care workers

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have demonstrated that geriatric care employees are exposed to a large number of factors that can affect their levels of job satisfaction and occupational stress. Although working with elderly people is emotionally demanding, little research has been done on the role played by perceptions of emotional display rules, alongside more traditional work characteristics and individual factors, in the prediction of geriatric care employees' wellbeing.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the present study was to examine the role played by work characteristics (job demands, job control, emotional display rules) and individual (affectivity) factors to predict job satisfaction and burnout among French geriatric care nurses.

METHOD AND PARTICIPANTS

Questionnaires were sent to 891 employees working in 32 geriatric care centers in France. A total of 371 valid questionnaires (response rate: 41.60%) were analyzed using structural equation modeling techniques.

RESULTS

Results revealed two main processes of burnout and job satisfaction among women geriatric care workers, namely a salutogenic process and a pathogenic process. As expected, negative affectivity, low job status, perceived negative display rules and job demands are involved in the pathogenic process; while positive affectivity, perceived positive display rules and job control are implied in the salutogenic one. More specifically, as expected, negative affectivity is a positive predictor of burnout, both directly and indirectly through its impact on perceived negative display rules and job demands. Moreover, negative affectivity was negatively related to job satisfaction. Simultaneously, positive affectivity can predict job satisfaction, both directly and indirectly through its impact on perceived positive display rules and job control. Positive affectivity is also a negative predictor of burnout.

CONCLUSIONS

Practical implications are discussed to support intervention programs that develop healthy workplaces, and also to inform nurses about how to manage emotional display rules in retirement homes.

Sociocognitive determinants of self-reported compliance with standard precautions: Development and preliminary testing of a questionnaire with French health care workers

BACKGROUND

Inconsistent compliance of health care workers with standard precautions has already been documented. The objective of this study was to develop a questionnaire to investigate the sociocognitive determinants of compliance with standard precautions based on the theory of planned behavior.

METHODS

To construct the Standard Precautions Questionnaire (SPQ), items were selected using a systematic review of literature and semistructured interviews with 54 health care workers. Thirty-five items were selected for a draft questionnaire. These questionnaires were sent to 649 health care workers in 3 medical specialties (pediatrics, geriatrics, and intensive care) in a French University hospital. A total of 331 valid questionnaires were analyzed.

RESULTS

Factor analysis yielded a final 7-factor solution with an explained variance of 66.51%, with 24 items. The 7 dimensions were the following: attitude toward standard precautions, social influence facilitating organization, exemplary behavior of colleagues, organizational constraints, individual constraints, and intention to perform standard precautions. Some differences were observed between medical specialties on attitude toward standard precautions, social influence, and individual constraints.

CONCLUSION

The SPQ met the conditions of reliability and validity in accordance with psychometric demands and could be used to evaluate attitudes and intention to perform standard precautions among medical and nursing staff.

Assessing neurosurgical non-technical skills: an exploratory study of a new behavioural marker system

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The management of non-technical skills is a major factor affecting teamwork quality and patient safety. This article presents a behavioural marker system for assessing neurosurgical non-technical skills (BMS-NNTS). We tested the BMS during deep brain stimulation surgery.

METHOD

We developed the BMS in three stages. First, we drew up a provisional assessment tool based on the literature and observation tools developed for other surgical specialties. We then analysed videos made in an operating room (OR) during deep brain stimulation operations in order to ensure there were no significant omissions from the skills list. Finally, we used five videos of operations to identify the behavioural markers of non-technical skills in verbal communications.

RESULTS

Analyses of more than six hours of observations revealed 3515 behaviours from which we determined the neurosurgeon's non-technical skills behaviour pattern. The neurosurgeon frequently engaged in explicit coordination, situation awareness and leadership behaviours. In addition, the neurosurgeon's behaviours differed according to the stage of the operation and the OR staff members with whom she was communicating.

CONCLUSIONS

Our behavioural marker system provides a structured approach to assessing non-technical skills in the field of neurosurgery. It can also be transferred to other surgical specialties and used in surgeon training curricula.

Procedural justice, supervisor autonomy support, work satisfaction, organizational identification and job performance: the mediating role of need satisfaction and perceived organizational support

AIM

To test a model linking procedural justice, supervisor autonomy support, need satisfaction, organizational support, work satisfaction, organizational identification and job performance.

BACKGROUND

Research in industrial and organizational psychology has shown that procedural justice and supervisor autonomy support lead to positive outcomes. However, very little research related to this subject has been conducted in healthcare settings. Moreover, few studies have examined mechanisms that could account for these positive relationships.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional correlational design was used.

METHOD

Convenience sampling was used and a sample of 500 nurses working in haematology, oncology and haematology/oncology units in France was surveyed in 2011. The final sample consisted of 323 nurses (64.6% response rate). The hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modelling.

RESULTS

Procedural justice and supervisor autonomy support significantly and positively influenced need satisfaction and perceived organizational support, which in turn positively predicted work satisfaction, organizational identification and job performance.

CONCLUSION

Organizations could deliver training programmes for their managers aimed at enhancing the use of fair procedures in allocating outcomes and developing their autonomy-supportive behaviours to improve nurses' work satisfaction, organizational identification and job performance.

Job Satisfaction, Life Satisfaction and Burnout in French Anaesthetists

The present study aimed to examine the prevalence of burnout, levels of life satisfaction and job satisfaction in anaesthetists in France. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 193 anaesthetists from eight French public hospitals. The results indicated low levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scores, but high levels of reduced accomplishment. The results also revealed differences between subgroups: physician anaesthetists reported higher levels of depersonalization and reduced accomplishment than nurse anaesthetists, female and junior anaesthetists reported higher levels of emotional exhaustion and job dissatisfaction than male and senior anaesthetists. The results and the implications to reduce burnout symptoms in anesthesia teams are discussed.

Retirees' Social Identity and Satisfaction with Retirement

The purpose of this study was to examine the structure of retirees' social identity and its impact on satisfaction with retirement. From social identity theory formulations, we assumed that (1) retiree-identity was comprised of three distinct components (cognitive, evaluative, and affective), and (2) only the affective component would play a role in satisfaction with retirement. Results of the present study conducted with 154 retired people in France revealed only two components of social identity: a cognitive identity which refers to self-categorization as “retired people,” and an affective identity which refers to evaluation of the group and affective involvement. As expected, regression analyses results indicated that only affective identity was a predictor of satisfaction with retirement. These results will be discussed in the framework of social identity theory literature.