Grace under pressure: Mental health nurses' stories of resilience in practice

Mental health nurses experience both organizational and practice-related stressors in their work. Resilience is an interactive process of positive adaptation following stress and adversity. There is limited evidence on how personal resilience is applied to mental health nursing practice. The aim of this interpretive narrative study was to explore mental health nurses' stories of resilience in their practice for the purpose of gaining an understanding of resilience resources they draw on when dealing with challenging workplace situations. A storytelling approach was used in semistructured phone interviews with 12 mental health nurses who measured high on resilience (Workplace Resilience Inventory) and caring behaviours (Caring Behaviours Inventory). Within and across case narrative analysis produced stories of resilient practice within four themes: proactively managing the professional self; sustaining oneself through supportive relationships; engaging actively in practice, learning and self-care; and seeking positive solutions and outcomes. Nurses displayed poise in stressful situations and grace under pressure in demanding and emotionally challenging interactions, holding dignity and respect for self and others, with the aim of achieving positive outcomes for both. Resilient practice is the responsibility of organizations as well as individuals. To develop practice and support staff retention, we recommend organizations use tailored professional development to cultivate a growth mindset in new and experienced staff, develop organizational strategies to build positive team cultures, and prioritize strategies to reduce workplace stressors and strengthen staff psychological safety and well-being. The use of narrative techniques in reflective practice and clinical supervision may help build nurses' resilience and practice.     

疫情期间一线非现役文职护理人员心理弹性的影响因素研究

目的 了解新型冠状病毒疫情期间一线非现役文职护理人员心理弹性状况并分析影响因素,为非现役文职护理人员执行卫勤保障任务前适应性训练及应对能力提供参考.方法 采用一般资料问卷和心理弹性量表对102名疫情期间一线非现役文职护理人员进行问卷调查.结果 疫情期间一线非现役文职护理人员心理弹性量表总分为(70.63±14.24)分...     

Protecting healthcare workers' mental health against COVID-19-related stress: The effects of stress mindset and psychological resilience

Healthcare workers have been on the frontline of the battle against COVID-19 disease. However, this has taken a toll on them, resulting in elevated stress and poor mental health. We argue that healthcare workers' stress mindset and resilience could mitigate negative outcomes of COVID-19-related stress by helping them view this stressful situation in a more positive light and appraise it as a challenge rather than a threat. Accordingly, we hypothesized that both a stress-is-enhancing mindset about COVID-19-related stress and resilience would improve healthcare workers' appraisal of their personal resources and increase their challenge appraisals, positively contributing to their mental health. We collected data from 160 healthcare workers and performed structural equation modeling for hypothesis testing. The results indicate that both a stress-is-enhancing mindset about COVID-19-related stress and psychological resilience are indirectly related to better mental well-being and lower health-related anxiety through challenge appraisals. This study contributes to research in mental health by suggesting that protecting and promoting healthcare workers' mental health is possible by empowering them through increasing personal resources such as a positive mindset about stressful situations and resilience.     

Mental health nurses' and psychiatrists' views on the prognosis of schizophrenia and depression: an exploratory, qualitative investigation

This study uses a qualitative methodology to explore mental health literacy, specifically perceptions of prognosis, which is typically investigated with a quantitative, questionnaire-based approach. Two vignettes--one of a person with schizophrenia and one with depression--were shown to three mental health nurses and three psychiatrists. During semi-structured, open-ended interviews, they were asked to discuss their thoughts about the prognosis for the patient presented in each vignette. Participants tended to use the terms 'prognosis' and 'outcome' interchangeably. Psychiatrists tended to be more guarded in determining a prognosis than nurses. Both groups emphasized the importance of clinical experience in formulating views. However, nurses also discussed the role of the multidisciplinary team, whilst psychiatrists emphasized their reliance upon the scientific literature in shaping opinions. Participants identified information relevant for incorporating into future vignettes, to allow more informed research into literacy. The results of quantitative mental health literacy research should be interpreted with caution. Simplifying responses to allow comparative analysis is necessary, but masks more complex and important interpretations. Further qualitative research is recommended, the results of which can inform more comprehensive quantitative studies in the area.     

Interwoven histories: Mental health nurses with experience of mental illness,qualitative findings from a mixed methods study

The effects of mental health nurses’ own experience of mental illness or being a carer have rarely been researched beyond the workplace setting. This study aimed to explore how the experience of mental illness affects mental health nurses’ lives outside of and inside work. A sample of 26 mental health nurses with personal experience of mental illness took part in semistructured interviews. Data were analysed thematically using a six‐phase approach. The analysis revealed the broad context of nurses’ experiences of mental illness according to three interwoven themes: mental illness as part of family life; experience of accessing services; and life interwoven with mental illness. Participants typically described personal and familial experience of mental illness across their life course, with multiple causes and consequences. The findings suggest that nurses’ lives outside of work should be taken into account when considering the impact of their personal experience of mental illness. Similarly being a nurse influences how mental illness is experienced. Treatment of nurses with mental illness should account for their nursing expertise whilst recognizing that the context for nurses’ mental illness could be much broader than the effect of workplace stress.     

Psychological factors and oral health during initial outbreak of COVID-19 in China: A cross-sectional study

ObjectivesTo investigate associations between oral health and psychological factors (i.e., depression, anxiety, and resilience) in a group of Chinese individuals who had sought an intervention online during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsFor this cross-sectional study, online questionnaires were created using online survey software from set items of instruments commonly used to assess depression, anxiety, and resilience combined with an oral health survey. The study was conducted from March 13 to 16, 2020.Results568 participants (188 men and 380 women) with a mean ± SD age of 41.7 ± 10.2 years were included in the analyses. In total, 152 (27%) participants were from Beijing, 149 (26%) from Wuhan, 110 (19%) from Shenyang, and 157 (28%) from other Chinese cities. Halitosis and bleeding gums were the most common reasons for individuals to seek an intervention. Compared with other cities, participants from Wuhan showed higher anxiety and depression and worse previous oral health. Resilience mediated the relationship between depression and oral health, but not between anxiety and oral health.ConclusionWe hope that the data from this study will inform clinical practitioners and demonstrate that mental health awareness and resilience training are important strategies that may mitigate the negative impact of lockdown and isolation on oral health.     

The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health workforce: A rapid review

The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant adaptations to healthcare. Provision of mental healthcare in a changing environment presented healthcare workers with unique challenges and demands, including changes in workload and expectations. To inform current and future healthcare service responses, and adaptations, the current review aimed to collate and examine the impact of the pandemic on mental healthcare workers (MHWs). We conducted a rapid systematic review to examine the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on MHWs. Searches were conducted in Ovid Medline and PsycInfo and restricted to articles published from 2020. Inclusion criteria specified articles written in English, published in peer-reviewed journals, and that examined any outcome of the impact of COVID-19 on MHWs; 55 articles fulfilled these criteria. Outcomes were categorized into ‘work-related outcomes’ and ‘personal outcomes’. Mental healthcare workers worldwide experienced a range of work-related and personal adversities during the pandemic. Key work-related outcomes included increased workload, changed roles, burnout, decreased job satisfaction, telehealth challenges, difficulties with work-life balance, altered job performance, vicarious trauma and increased workplace violence. Personal outcomes included decreased well-being, increased psychological distress and psychosocial difficulties. These outcomes differed between inpatient, outpatient and remote settings. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered the delivery of mental healthcare and MHWs experienced both work-related and personal adversities during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the continuation of changes introduced to healthcare in the initial stages of the pandemic, it will be important to maintain efforts to monitor negative outcomes and ensure supports for MHWs, going forward.     

新冠肺炎疫情对医务工作者心理健康的影响

医务人员在新冠肺炎疫情中不仅仅是逆行的抗疫者，更多的是较普通人群面临更高的感染风险和更大的压力与挑战，需要承受长时间和超负荷工作，经历身心的疲惫和耗竭。本文复习国内外相关研究，围绕医务人员在疫情期间的心理健康问题，提出可从管理流程、心理/社会支持、心理承受力，以及作息和情绪管理等方面综合干预和预防，促进医务人员的身心健康。     

新冠肺炎疫情前后个体的心理健康状况及心理应激的调查

目的:了解新冠肺炎疫情前后个体的一般心理健康状况变化及产生的心理应激.方法:采用一般健康问卷(GHQ-12)中文版、应激(压力)反应问卷(SRQ),选取520例居民进行疫情前及疫情期间心理健康状况及应激反应调查,选择χ2检验、非参数Z检验及Spearman相关分析进行数据分析.结果:疫情发生后疑似心理健康障碍检出率增加...     

Valuing tacit nursing knowledge during the COVID-19 pandemic

Public health nurses in Ontario, Canada, support the healthy growth and development of children across the province through a variety of programs including home visits for pregnant individuals and families with young children. During the COVID-19 global pandemic the needs of families increased while access to health and social services decreased. During this time, home visiting teams closely involved in supporting families also experienced staff redeployment to support pandemic efforts (e.g., case and contact management, vaccinations) and changes to the nature of home visiting work, including shifts to remote or virtual service delivery. To support nursing practice in this new and evolving context, a framework for capturing and sharing the tacit or how-to knowledge of public health nurses was developed. A valuing of this type of knowledge for informing future public health nursing practice – well beyond the pandemic response – was recognized as a pandemic silver lining when reflecting on two years of supporting home visiting teams in our province.