The Relationship Between Resilience and Mental Health Status Among Nurses With Workplace Violence Experiences: A Cross‐Sectional Study

Abstract

Nurses encounter many stressors and challenges at work, which can negatively affect their mental and physical health. Modern theories of resilience suggest that resilience is a dynamic process of positive adaptation to adversity. This process involves personal growth through adversity, developing effective coping strategies and inculcating the ability to cope with stress. The resilience process involves individual characteristics, social support and environmental factors, including workplace culture. Strengthening nurses' resilience can help them cope with adversity, maintain their mental health and well‐being and support their provision of care. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between workplace characteristics, resilience and mental health status among nurses with experiences of workplace violence. The study objectives were to analyse the relationships between workplace characteristics, resilience and mental health status among nurses with experiences of workplace violence and to investigate the effects of resilience on nurses' mental health outcomes. In this cross‐sectional study, full‐time nurses at a medical centre in Taiwan completed a questionnaire survey. Of 600 distributed questionnaires, 334 nurses were identified to have experienced workplace violence. The questionnaires included items on workplace violence, resilience, metal health status (burnout and mental distress), sleep quality, work characteristics (job control, psychological job demands and workplace justice) and demographic characteristics. Data were analysed through chi‐square tests and multivariate logistic regression. Nurses with low resilience tended to be younger, work more rotating/night shifts and perceive lower levels of job control and workplace justice. They also reported higher risks of burnout and mental distress and lower sleep quality. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that psychological job demands, workplace justice and resilience significantly influenced nurses' mental health status. Nurses with high resilience exhibited a lower risk of mental distress and higher sleep quality. However, resilience was not associated with burnout. The findings revealed how workplace factors and resilience influence nurses' mental health. The findings help nurse managers and policymakers develop strategies to promote nurses' resilience and mental health and mitigate the adverse effects of negative workplace events.