Exploration of the factors related to self-efficacy among psychiatric nurses

Abstract

The average length of hospital stay in the psychiatric ward is longer, and the risk of patientto-nurse violence is higher than that in other departments. Therefore, psychiatric nurses' work environment may differ from that of other nurses. The factors related to psychiatric nurses' self-efficacy may also differ from those of general workers or other nurses. Mental health care that considers the characteristics of psychiatric nurses requires exploration of self-efficacy unique to psychiatric nurses. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the distinct factors related to psychiatric nurses' self-efficacy. The developed 24 items related to improvement in self-efficacy and 25 items related to decrease in self-efficacy were examined. The Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale was used to measure the validity of the factors. To extract the factors of self-efficacy, data from 132 nurses and assistant nurses who provided informed consent were analyzed, and the reliability and validity of the factors were calculated. The factors associated with improvement in self-efficacy were "Positive reactions by patients," "Ability to positively change nurse-patient relationship," and "Practicability of appropriate nursing." The factors associated with decrease in self-efficacy were "Uncertainty in psychiatric nursing" and "Nurses' role loss." The Cronbach's α for all factors exceeded .70. Of the five factors, four had significant weak-to-moderate correlations with the Japanese version of the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale; therefore, the validity was quantitatively confirmed with four factors. Interventions based on these four factors may improve psychiatric nurses' self-efficacy. Additionally, it is possible that this tool assesses the unique facets of self-efficacy rather than psychiatric nurses' general self-efficacy. Interventions to improve psychiatric nurses' self-efficacy based on the characteristics of psychiatry are needed.

Validity and reliability of Psychiatric Nurse Self-Efficacy Scales: cross-sectional study

“…The factor 'Positive changes in the patient' was similar to that of 'Positive reaction of patients', one of the factors of self-efficacy revealed in Yada et al's 16 study. Patience is required to treat psychiatric symptoms.…”

“…The factors associated with self-efficacy of psychiatric nurses were 'Positive reactions by patients', 'Ability to positively change nurse-patient relationship' and 'Practicability of appropriate nursing', and 'Uncertainty in psychiatric nursing' and 'Nurses' role loss' represent the reality of psychiatric nurses. 16 To improve the self-efficacy of psychiatric nurses, it first needs to be evaluated. Existing self-efficacy scales are inadequate, due to their lack of focus on the specific issues and environmental contexts encountered by psychiatric nurses.…”

“…20 The factor 'Decrease in nursing ability due to overload' was found to have a different meaning to that found in a previous study. 16 The responsibilities of psychiatric nurses include not just patient care but also lots of administrative work. One survey of psychiatric nurses found that 2.18 min was spent on symptom management, while 2 hours was spent on the related paperwork, and nurses who spent more time on direct patient care were more satisfied.…”

“… 15 At the same time, there is concern that psychiatric nurses exposed to such an environment may have reduced self-efficacy. Yada et al 16 also highlighted the importance of self-efficacy when evaluating psychiatric nurses’ mental health. The factors associated with self-efficacy of psychiatric nurses were ‘Positive reactions by patients’, ‘Ability to positively change nurse–patient relationship’ and ‘Practicability of appropriate nursing’, and ‘Uncertainty in psychiatric nursing’ and ‘Nurses’ role loss’ represent the reality of psychiatric nurses.…”

“…The factors associated with self-efficacy of psychiatric nurses were ‘Positive reactions by patients’, ‘Ability to positively change nurse–patient relationship’ and ‘Practicability of appropriate nursing’, and ‘Uncertainty in psychiatric nursing’ and ‘Nurses’ role loss’ represent the reality of psychiatric nurses. 16 …”