Anxiety, depression and cognitive emotion regulation strategies in Chinese nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak.

AIMS: To explore the association between cognitive emotion regulation strategies and anxiety and depression among nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak. BACKGROUND: Nurses play a vital role in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak, but many of them suffer from psychological problems due to the excessive workload and stress. Understanding the correlation between cognitive emotion regulation strategies and anxiety and depression will promote targeted psychosocial interventions for these affected nurses. METHODS: This cross-sectional study of 586 nurses was conducted in Eastern China. Participants completed online questionnaires that investigated anxiety, depression and cognitive emotion regulation strategies. RESULTS: The prevalence of nurses' anxiety and depression was 27.6% and 32.8%, respectively. Lower self-blame, rumination and catastrophizing, as well as greater acceptance and positive refocusing, were related to fewer symptoms of anxiety or depression. CONCLUSION: The cognitive emotion regulation strategies of acceptance and positive refocusing contribute to reducing anxiety or depression. These strategies should be considered when implementing psychotherapeutic interventions to improve nurses' adverse emotional symptoms. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: This study highlights the need to assess cognitive emotion regulation strategies use in screening for anxiety and depression. Nurse managers should develop psychosocial interventions including appropriate strategies to help nurses with adverse emotions during a pandemic.

Job burnout and quality of working life among Chinese nurses: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: To explore the relationship between job burnout and quality of working life, and identify influencing factors of nurses' quality of working life. BACKGROUND: Understanding the influencing factors of quality of working life is important to improve nursing retention strategies. Job burnout can negatively influence work efficiency and quality of work. However, studies examining the association between the two remain limited. METHODS: The cross-sectional survey of 2,504 nurses was performed in Eastern China. Nurses were invited to complete self-report questionnaires online. The collected data were analysed using Pearson's correlation and multiple regression. RESULTS: About 64.0% of nurses experienced job burnout, and their quality of working life was at a moderate level. Job burnout, hospital level, age, income, night shift and patient-to-nurse ratio were significant factors of quality of working life. CONCLUSION: Job burnout has a negative effect on nurses' quality of working life. Some demographic and work-related factors should be considered when developing interventions to improve nurses' quality of working life. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Hospital and nurses managers should develop strategies to reduce nurses' job burnout and enhance their quality of working life, such as optimum nurse staffing, offer reasonable pecuniary compensation and establish an appropriate shift work schedule.

Related factors influencing Chinese psychiatric nurses' turnover: A cross-sectional study.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT: Because of increasingly stressful, dangerous and unpredictable psychiatric nursing work, psychiatric nurses have experienced higher job stress than general ward nurses. Little is known about the factors that affect the turnover intention of Chinese psychiatric nurses. Understanding the influencing factors of nurses' turnover intention will help to formulate targeted measures to stabilize psychiatric nursing teams. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE: The results showed that 70.2% of psychiatric nurses had higher turnover intention. The strong turnover intention of Chinese psychiatric nurses is a problem that needs to be considered by managers. The results showed that having more children, between 31 and 39 years old, and having a part-time job were strongly associated with turnover intention. In addition, "job stress" was also an important factor, psychiatric nurses' turnover intention decreased as their job stress level decreased. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Nursing managers should pay attention to nurses who have more children, between 31 and 39 years old, and take on part-time jobs. Additionally, nursing managers should reduce job stress and implement targeted programmes to prevent psychiatric nurses' turnover. Experience-sharing meetings and mindfulness-based stress reduction training are also useful to improve the mental health status of psychiatric nurses with great job stress. Nursing managers should arrange human resources and shifts appropriately to give nurses with more children more time with their families. Provide more development opportunities for psychiatric nurses between 31 and 39 years old. Managers explore the reasons why nurses take on part-time jobs and take targeted interventions (such as increasing income) to reduce the behaviour that happens. ABSTRACT: Introduction Nurses' turnover is the main cause of nursing shortages, greatly affected by nurses' intention to leave. Nurses' turnover rate is particularly high in psychiatric wards. Several factors influencing the turnover intention of psychiatric nurses have not been well identified in China, and the association between job stress and turnover intention is still limited. Aims To examine the relationship between job stress and turnover intention and identify the influencing factors of psychiatric nurses' turnover intention. Methods Data were collected from 2355 psychiatric Chinese nurses using a cross-sectional design with an online questionnaire investigation. Results Psychiatric nurses had higher turnover intention. Significant factors influencing their turnover intention were job stress, having more children, age between 31 and 39 years old, part-time jobs, education, income and patient-to-nurse ratio. Discussion Demographics and job-related factors should be considered when developing strategies to reduce the turnover intention of psychiatric nurses. Implications for practice Nursing managers should pay attention to nurses with higher job stress levels and different demographic characteristics. Effective measures should be taken to reduce psychiatric nurses' job stress and turnover intention, such as arranging reasonable shifts, implementing targeted family-friendly policies, increasing their occupational possibilities and promoting mental health.