Self-tuning for job engagement: Ugandan nurses' self-care strategies in coping with work stress

Abstract

This qualitative study explored self-care among fifteen Ugandan nurses with reputations for thriving despite having difficult working conditions. The analysis revealed that in the face of potential threats to the nurses' job engagement they engaged in 'self-tuning', a salutogenic process involving introspection, sensibility and reflection leading to coping in one or several of these ways: sharing of experiences, trusting in God's providence, engaging in other enjoyable activities, letting go, adapting based on experiences, guarding against workplace hazards, preserving quiet time, and or clearly separating work from personal life. This study supports previous research that self-tuning is a learnable skill, critical in helping nurses cope with work-related adversity; that should be emphasised both during nursing training and on the job.

The Application of Salutogenesis to Work

“…Although "calling" is a highly secular phenomenon for the Norwegian participants in these studies (Vinje, 2007) and a decidedly religious one for the Ugandan participants (Bakibinga et al, 2012), this research reveals that nurses have high levels of ethical standards and a sense of calling as a core aspect in their lives. The ability to listen to and act upon a calling helps an individual prioritize and choose when it comes to work.…”

“…The concept of self-tuning has evolved from an in-depth, qualitative exploration of the nature of job engagement among thriving Norwegian community health nurses, and investigates how job engagement may be maintained and promoted (Vinje, 2007;Vinje & Mittelmark, 2006). The concept has been further explored among Ugandan nurses (Bakibinga, Vinje, & Mittelmark, 2012) and in the work-life of nurses and other health care workers in municipal health services in Norway (Vinje & Ausland, 2013). Although Antonovsky (1987a) stressed the need for the right loadbalance to manage well at work, meaningfulness seems to be the key issue in his argument.…”

Emerging Ideas Relevant to the Salutogenic Model of Health

“…In the context of coping with stressors, selftuning is the learned ability to adjust coping responses to avoid extreme outcomes, for example to avoid burnout in the face of extreme work stress. Figure 6.4 shows the self-tuning process as revealed in studies of nurses coping with workrelated stress (Vinje & Mittelmark, 2006, 2007Vinje, 2007;Bakibinga, Vinje, and Mittelmark, 2012a, 2012b and further explored in municipal workers (Vinje & Ausland, 2013).…”

The Application of Salutogenesis in the Training of Health Professionals

“…The concept of self-tuning has evolved from exploring in-depth, using inductive qualitative designs, the nature of job engagement among thriving Norwegian community health nurses, and investigating how job engagement is maintained and promoted (Vinje, 2007;Vinje & Mittelmark, 2006). The concept has been further explored among Ugandan nurses (Bakibinga et al, 2012), and in the work-life of nurses and other health professionals in municipal health services in Norway (Vinje & Ausland, 2013). The experience of meaning, particularly in the sense of being useful and experiencing existential significance, seems essential for health professionals' engagement and workrelated well-being (ibid).…”

“…Research shows that self-tuning is an important competence for health promotion (Bakibinga, Vinje, & Mittelmark, 2012;Vinje, 2007;Vinje & Ausland, 2013;Vinje & Mittelmark, 2006). The concept of self-tuning has evolved from exploring in-depth, using inductive qualitative designs, the nature of job engagement among thriving Norwegian community health nurses, and investigating how job engagement is maintained and promoted (Vinje, 2007;Vinje & Mittelmark, 2006).…”