Tend and befriend in the intensive care unit

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Psychology
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• Stress is prevalent in intensive care units (ICUs) affecting both patients and healthcare professionals.
• Critical care nurses encounter diverse stressors: physical, psychological, and moral.
• The traditional stress response (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) is complemented by the "tend and befriend" model, observed in females.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the "tend and befriend" stress response model in critical care nursing.
• To investigate stress's impact on immune function and personal growth.
• To introduce the "tend and befriend" strategy as an intervention for nurses experiencing moral distress.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on stress responses in critical care settings.
• Analysis of existing studies on the "tend and befriend" phenomenon.
• Exploration of stress, immune function, and personal growth interconnections.

Main Results:

• The "tend and befriend" model provides an alternative perspective on stress response, particularly in females.
• Stress impacts immune function and can paradoxically lead to personal growth.
• The "tend and befriend" strategy shows potential for enhancing nurses' resilience.

Conclusions:

• The "tend and befriend" model offers valuable insights into nursing stress.
• Interventions based on this model can support nurses in managing and growing from stressful experiences, especially moral distress.
• Further research is warranted to validate the efficacy of "tend and befriend" strategies in clinical practice.