The Resilience of Pediatric Nurses in Context: A Mixed Methods Study

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Psychology
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Resilience is crucial for nurses, especially in pediatric care, facing unique stressors.
• Workplace factors significantly influence nurses' ability to cope with and recover from job-related stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how work environment factors impact resilience in pediatric nurses.
• Investigate the role of social support, work conditions, and coping mechanisms in pediatric nursing.

Main Methods:

• Secondary mixed-methods analysis of survey data and interviews.
• 30 pediatric nurses participated in surveys and semi-structured interviews.
• Ordinal logistic regression and meta-matrix analysis were employed.

Main Results:

• Five themes emerged: three supporting resilience (shared burden, administrative support, breaks) and two hindering it (care quality challenges, feeling undervalued).
• No single theme significantly altered the likelihood of higher resilience.
• Nurses identified workplace resources and conditions as key influences on their resilience.

Conclusions:

• Workplace factors are important but not the sole determinant of pediatric nurse resilience.
• Interventions like encouraging breaks, peer support, and leadership connection can bolster resilience.
• Healthcare organizations must assess how work environment changes affect nurse resilience.